In outdoor footwear, sole properties must guarantee grip with the ground and support the forefoot without altering the kinematics of the metatarsophalangeal joints (MPJ). The present study aimed to implement an objective measure of shoe bending stiffness and investigate the effect of shoes with different bending stiffness on MPJ kinematics, kinetics, and energy balance during walking. The bending stiffness of four shoes was calculated using a customized flexometer. Then, the influence of each footwear on MPJ biomechanics during level and uphill walking was investigated with a motion capture system and a force plate on 10 healthy subjects. Results showed that MPJ peak dorsiflexion angle, stiffness, and energy balance were affected both by shoe bending stiffness (p<0.001) and walking slope (p<0.001). The findings of the study, which quantify the influence of shoe stiffness on MPJ biomechanics, will be helpful in the design of outdoor footwear.

在户外鞋类中，鞋底特性必须确保与地面的抓地力并支撑前脚，而不会改变the趾关节（MPJ）的运动学。本研究旨在实现鞋弯曲刚度的客观度量，并研究具有不同弯曲刚度的鞋对行走过程中MPJ运动学，动力学和能量平衡的影响。使用定制的弯曲仪计算四只鞋的弯曲刚度。然后，使用运动捕捉系统和测力板对10名健康受试者进行了调查，研究了每种鞋类在水平和上坡步行过程中对MPJ生物力学的影响。结果表明，MPJ峰值背屈角度，刚度和能量平衡受鞋子弯曲刚度（p <0.001）和步行坡度（p<0.001）。这项研究的结果量化了鞋的刚度对MPJ生物力学的影响，将有助于户外鞋的设计。