The influence of mountain boots on gait

Mountain boots are heavier than everyday shoes and imprison the ankle joint; these characteristics may affect normal walking. The purpose of this study was to analyze temporal gait in a group of mountaineers who use these boots. Gait parameters were compared to those assessed for the same group wearing everyday shoes. A conductive walkway system was used for gait analysis; each mountaineer performed 3 runs at normal speed and 3 runs at fast speed, first wearing everyday shoes and then wearing mountain boots. The parameters determined were gait cycle duration (s), the durations of single support (SLS), double support (DLS) and single step (expressed as percentages of cycle duration), and the gait speed (m/s). Results with everyday shoes were compared to those with mountain shoes using the t test. Statistically significant differences between the two types of shoes were found in the SLS and DLS values in both normal and fast gait. These differences are attributed to the fact that mountain boots affect the gait in a variety of ways, such as the longer lever arm of the foot. In the long term, the increased single support and decreased double support may predispose to joint overload and arthritis development.[PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]