穿翘头鞋会减少肌肉用力 |《科学报告》论文

论文标题：Effect of the upward curvature of toe springs on walking biomechanics in humans

期刊：Scientific reports

作者：Freddy Sichting, Nicholas B. Holowka et.al

发表时间：2020/09/17

数字识别码：10.1038/s41598-020-71247-9

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《科学报告》发表的一项实验性研究Effect of the upward curvature of toe springs on walking biomechanics in humans发现，相比底部更平的鞋子，头部向上弯曲（也称鞋头上翘）的鞋子能让走路时足部肌肉用力更少。

鞋头上翘能让足趾一直高于地面，保持弯曲向上的姿态， 帮助足前掌在走路或跑步时向前卷——大部分现代运动鞋都采用了这种设计。不过，它们对自然足功能的作用以及足部是否易受损伤一直没有得到广泛研究。

德国开姆尼茨工业大学的Freddy Sichting、美国哈佛大学的Dan Lieberman、美国纽约州立大学布法罗分校的Nicholas Holowka和同事利用一组对照实验研究了鞋头上翘对足部生物力学的影响。实验中，13名受试者先以舒适的步速在跑步机上光脚行走，再被要求穿着特别设计四双凉鞋重复这一过程，这些凉鞋的足趾区域会不同程度地上翘，从而模拟现代运动鞋的弯曲度。作者再利用放置在每人膝盖、脚踝、脚上的追踪器收集3D运动数据。

鞋尖翘度描述了鞋子的向上弯曲度。| 来源：Sichting et al.

作者发现，鞋头上翘能让连接足趾与足骨关节周围的肌肉减少做功。足趾相对其他足部的上翘幅度越大，足肌在行走时支持关节的做功也越少。

研究结果解释了鞋头上翘如此舒适且受欢迎的原因，但也提示鞋头上翘的鞋在长期穿着下可能会导致足肌弱化。作者指出，这可能会导致穿鞋者易患常见病理疾病，如跖筋膜炎（足部连接跟骨与足趾的部位发炎）。

摘要：Although most features of modern footwear have been intensively studied, there has been almost no research on the effects of toe springs. This nearly ubiquitous upward curvature of the sole at the front of the shoe elevates the toe box dorsally above the ground and thereby holds the toes in a constantly dorsiflexed position. While it is generally recognized that toe springs facilitate the forefoot’s ability to roll forward at the end of stance, toe springs may also have some effect on natural foot function. This study investigated the effects of toe springs on foot biomechanics in a controlled experiment in which participants walked in specially-designed sandals with varying curvature in the toe region to simulate toe springs ranging from 10 to 40 degrees of curvature. Using inverse dynamics techniques, we found that toe springs alter the joint moments and work at the toes such that greater degrees of toe spring curvature resulted in lower work requirements during walking. Our results help explain why toe springs have been a pervasive feature in shoes for centuries but also suggest that toe springs may contribute to weakening of the foot muscles and possibly to increased susceptibility to common pathological conditions such as plantar fasciitis.