Definitions of each walking parameter.

BackgroundWalking is essential in daily life, and footwear type significantly affects walking patterns. High-heeled shoes increase the risk of knee osteoarthritis and falls in women. Traditional studies often use treadmills or unfamiliar footwear, which may not reflect daily walking. This study investigated the impact of high-heeled shoes on walking parameters in healthy adult women using in-shoe motion sensors.MethodsSeventeen healthy adult women without pain during walking participated. They walked for 6 minutes along a 30-meter corridor wearing high-heeled shoes and sneakers. Walking data were recorded using an in-shoe motion sensor system every 2 minutes. The average of three valid consecutive steps was calculated automatically. Statistical analysis compared the mean walking parameters between the high-heel and sneaker groups.ResultsThe high-heel group showed significantly reduced foot clearance, stride length, peak plantar angle in dorsiflexion, and peak plantar angle in plantarflexion, and significantly greater toe-out angle in spatial parameters. Spatiotemporal parameters revealed significantly reduced walking speed and maximum swing phase speed in the high-heel group. No significant differences were observed in temporal parameters between the groups.ConclusionsSince this study collected gait data under conditions similar to daily life, it provides data suitable for practical applications and may contribute to future research evaluating everyday gait. Additionally, future studies should include a broader range of participants and incorporate measurement devices capable of capturing hip and knee joint movements, providing a more comprehensive evaluation of the effects of high-heeled shoes on gait in healthy adult women.背景 步行是日常生活的核心活动，鞋类类型对步行模式具有显著影响。女性穿着高跟鞋会增加罹患膝骨关节炎（knee osteoarthritis）与跌倒的风险。既往研究多采用跑步机或非日常穿着的鞋款开展实验，难以还原真实日常步行场景。本研究借助鞋内运动传感器（in-shoe motion sensor），探究了高跟鞋对健康成年女性步行参数的影响。 方法 本研究招募17名步行时无疼痛症状的健康成年女性作为受试者。受试者分别穿着高跟鞋与运动鞋，在30米长的走廊中步行6分钟。每2分钟通过鞋内运动传感器系统记录步行数据。系统自动计算连续3个有效步行步的参数平均值。通过统计学分析对比高跟鞋组与运动鞋组的步行参数均值差异。 结果 高跟鞋组的足间隙（foot clearance）、步长（stride length）、背屈（dorsiflexion）时峰值跖角与跖屈（plantarflexion）时峰值跖角均显著降低，且空间参数（spatial parameters）中的外展角（toe-out angle）显著增大。时空参数（spatiotemporal parameters）方面，高跟鞋组的步行速度与最大摆动相（swing phase）速度均显著降低。两组的时间参数（temporal parameters）无显著差异。 结论 本研究在贴近日常生活的场景下采集步态数据（gait data），所得数据适用于实际应用场景，可为后续日常步态评估相关研究提供参考。此外，未来研究可扩大受试者覆盖范围，并引入可捕捉髋、膝关节运动的测量设备，以更全面地评估高跟鞋对健康成年女性步态的影响。