Kinematics of high-heeled gait with consideration for age and experience of wearers.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine whether the biomechanical accommodations to high-heeled shoes varied with age and experience in wearing high-heeled shoes. A t-test analysis was undertaken of the differences between low- and high-heeled gait in angles of rotation of the knee, hip, pelvis, upper trunk, and trunk. Biomechanical accommodations in gait caused by high-heeled shoes varied between younger and older individuals and between experienced and inexperienced wearers of high-heeled shoes. Younger subjects tended to increase lordosis of the trunk at heelstrike during high-heeled gait (1.7 degrees, SD = 0.8 degrees), whereas older subjects tended to flatten the trunk (-3.7 degrees, SD = 4.7 degrees, p less than .05). Experienced wearers had much greater increases in knee flexion during stance phase of high-heeled gait (5.3 degrees, SD = 3.3 degrees) than inexperienced wearers (1.9 degrees, SD = 1.9 degrees, p less than .05). Exaggerated upper trunk rotations were found in older and inexperienced subject groups rather than younger, and experienced groups (p less than .05).