Foot Rollover Temporal Parameters During Straight-Ahead and Side-Cut Walking in Obese and Nonobese Postmenopausal Women

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to compare the temporal foot rollover data between straight-ahead and side-cut walking and to establish a reference dataset for obese and nonobese postmenopausal women. Pressure data were collected using the two-step protocol. The initial, final, and duration of contact of 10 foot areas were measured, as 5 instants and 4 phases. Significant temporal foot rollover differences were found during walking with and without directional changes; however, most of these differences were common for obese and nonobese subjects.The trailing limb during the side-cut task anticipated the initial and final contact of the lateral forefoot and increased midfoot and toes duration, suggesting a greater role of these areas in the initial break and in foot stability. The leading limb throughout the side-cut task exhibited longer duration of the heel, midfoot, and stance phase probably due to an increase in the stride length of the trailing limb and leaning of the trunk toward the inner side of the turn. Additionally, obese women revealed a later final contact and longer contact duration of some metatarsal areas suggesting that the greater inertia of these subjects demands more time to stabilize and prepare the foot for the next step. Please provide 3 to 5 keywords for the article.

Keywords:

• foot rollover
• gait
• side-cut
• postmenopausal women

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The authors of this manuscript declare that this research was performed in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki and ethical approval for procedures was obtained from the University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro Ethical Committee.

Funding

The authors declare that this research was supported by the Portuguese Science and Technology Foundation (FCT) and the Operational Program for Science and Innovation 2010 (POCI 2010) cofinanced by the European Community fund FEDER.