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Abstract
Movement of the foot and ankle are essential for human locomotion. Recent in vivo research using invasive techniques has highlighted the complexity of joint kinematics of the foot and ankle. Consequently, a detailed quantification of foot bone motion is often required. This presents challenges if non-invasive methods are used; even more so if footwear is incorporated into these investigations. A description of foot movement within footwear (in-shoe foot kinematics) is particularly valuable due to the plethora of potential applications in foot and ankle biomechanics. The objective of this review is to appraise existing literature and describe methods for quantifying foot kinematics inside athletic running type footwear and to provide a perspective on future directions for research. A number of methods were identified that have been implemented in an attempt to quantify in-shoe foot kinematics. Although varied, these all present threats to the validity of measurement in the form of either structural modification of footwear or surface marker application to the external shoe surface. Due to discrepancies in foot kinematics measured with markers applied on the external shoe surface compared to skin or bone mounted markers, it appears inappropriate to rely on external shoe markers to infer in-shoe foot motion. The impact of footwear modification on shoe structure and foot kinematics to gain access to anatomical landmarks of the foot requires further investigation. The recognition of the limitations imposed by these methods and the emergence of new non-invasive methods that allow for investigation during shod activity will facilitate more realistic representation and accurate investigation of foot motion inside the shoe.