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Expert High Heel Walkers Adapt According

to Dynamic Walking Principles


Simisola O. Oludare
KN 594: Mechanics of Locomotion
4/22/2015
Background
• High heeled (HH) walking has been studied extensively
• Experience has been shown to affect kinematic, kinetic
and temporal spatial variables
• The effects of HH walking and HH walking experience has
not been widely studied
Background
• Ebbeling et. al showed that:
– energy costs increases proportionally with heel
height
– experience did not affect energy expenditure
• Ebbeling categories:
– Experienced: people who wore heels 3 or more times per week
– Inexperienced: people who wore them less than twice per month
• However, the differentiation between expert and
non expert is ambiguous (Cronin et al 2014)
Questions
• Do experts, compared to novices, have lower
energy expenditure?
• Do experts adapt based on dynamic walking
principles?
Dynamic Walking

W+ W-
Hypotheses
• An expert will have less change in net
mechanical work compared to a novice while
walking with and without high heels
• An expert will have less change in double
support net mechanical work compared to a
novice while walking with and without high
heels
Methods
• Expert: HH experience of 7 years
• Novice: No experience
Barefoot walking Break HH walking
(n= 5) (n=5)

Heel
height
θ

Foot length
Θ = Ankle angle = 20˚ PF

Expert Heel
3.15 inches 4.0 inches
Methods
• 10 meter instrumented walkway
• 8 IR
– 120 Hz
– 6th order low pass (10 Hz) Butterworth
– Helen Hayes marker set (22 landmarks)
• Two force plates
– 1020 Hz
– 4th order low pass (30 Hz) Butterworth
– Down sampled to match kinematics
Data Analysis
• Mechanical work
W   F  vcom
 
Wnet  W  W

• Double support:
– HS to contralateral toe off
– Right leg is always the trailing limb
Subjects
Expert (n=1) Novice (n=1)
Sex Female Male
Age (yrs.) 22.08 22.83
Height (cm) 160.20 167.64
Weight (kg) 58.97 71.21
Control Heels Control Heels

Cadence (step/s) 1.16±0.02 1.15 ±0.01 1.16 ±0.03 0.98±0.07


Expert Ankle Flexion
Novice Ankle Flexion
Results
• Hypothesis I is supported
Expert Net Mechanical Work Novice Net Mechanical Work
0
0

-2 -2

-4
Mechanical Work (J)

-4
-6

Mechanical Work (J)


Control
-6 -8 Control
Heel
-10 Heel
-8
-12

-10 -14

-16
-12
-18
Results
• Hypothesis II is supported
Expert Positve Mechanical Work Novice Positve Mechanical Work
18 18
16 16
14 14
Mechanical Work (J)

Mechanical Work (J)


12 12
10 Control 10 Control
8 Heel 8 Heel
6 6
4 4
2 2
0 0
Results
• Hypothesis II is supported

Expert Negative Mechanical Work Novice Negative Mechanical Work


0 0
-2
-2
-4
Mechanical Work (J)

Mechanical Work (J)


-6
-4
-8
Control Control
-6 -10
Heel Heel
-12
-8
-14
-16
-10
-18
-12 -20
Discussion
• Lack of Ankle Plantarflexion results in higher
energy expenditure
• Experts have learned to use the most efficient
strategy
• Novices most likely use the hip for most of
terminal stance power
• Future studies:
– Determine the most efficient heel height
– How long does it take to learn?
Conclusions
• High heel walking is energetically expensive if
you don’t know how to walk in them
• Force feedback classes should be given with
the purchase of high heels
Thanks!
References
• Cronin, NJ. The effects of high heeled shoes on female gait: A
review. J Electromyogr Kinesiol 2014; 24:258-263.

• Ebbeling CJ, Hamill J, Crussemeyer JA. Lower extremity mechanics


and energy cost of walking in high-heeled shoes. J Orthop Sports
Phys Ther 1994; 19(4):190–6.

• Kuo AD. The six determinants of gait and inverted pendulum


analogy: a dynamic walking perspective. Hum. Mov Sci 2007; 26:
617-656

• Donelan JM, Kram R, Kuo AD. Simultaneous positive and negative


external mechanical work in human walking. Journal of
Biomechanics. 2002;35:117–124.

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