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.

尽管现代鞋类的大多数特征都得到了深入研究，但几乎没有研究脚趾弹簧的影响。鞋前部鞋底的这种几乎无处不在的向上弯曲将脚趾盒从背侧抬高到地面上方，从而使脚趾始终保持在背屈位置。虽然人们普遍认为脚趾弹簧有助于前足在站立结束时向前滚动的能力，但脚趾弹簧也可能对足部的自然功能产生一些影响。本研究在受控实验中调查了脚趾弹簧对足部生物力学的影响，在该实验中，参与者穿着特别设计的脚趾区域具有不同曲率的凉鞋行走，以模拟 10 到 40 度曲率的脚趾弹簧。使用逆动力学技术，我们发现脚趾弹簧会改变关节力矩并在脚趾处工作，因此更大程度的脚趾弹簧曲率导致行走时的工作要求较低。我们的研究结果有助于解释为什么几个世纪以来脚趾弹簧一直是鞋子的普遍特征，但也表明脚趾弹簧可能会导致足部肌肉变弱，并可能增加对足底筋膜炎等常见病理状况的易感性。