Impact of 'Recovery' Footwear on Lower Extremity Comfort and Biomechanics

The goal of this study is to understand the impact of wearing shoes with a compliant, energy absorbing midsole material, outside of athletic training sessions on the mechanics of movement, performance, and perceived joint pain and stiffness. Advances in material science have led to a wider range of cushioning system material properties and mid and outsole geometries in footwear. While there are many marketing claims about the potential health benefits of this new class of footwear these have not yet been investigated in well-designed scientific studies.

It is hypothesized that the intervention shoe as compared to the control will reduce self-reported joint pain and stiffness, improve ankle plantarflexion function and increase intersegmental foot motion during walking.

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Arthralgia; Joint Stiffness; Gait Mechanics
• Intervention / Treatment: Device: OOFOS Recovery Footwear

Detailed Description

Participants will be asked to make 2 visits, 6 weeks apart, to the Umass Biomechanics Lab in the Totman Building at UMass Amherst for gait analysis and biomechanical performance testing.

At the first study visit, participants will be randomly assigned to one of two groups. Participants assigned to the control group will be asked to continue wearing their typical shoes and to complete every two weeks the footwear and injury log provided. Individuals assigned to the intervention group will be provided with 2 styles of the OOFOS recovery shoes, and will be asked to wear the OOFOS slide, sandal and/or closed toe shoes as their primary footwear outside training and competition for the 6 weeks between study visits. Intervention participants will also be asked to complete a daily shoe wear log and a shoe comfort assessment survey every other week.

At each study visit, subjects will be asked to read and sign an Informed Consent Form, and will also be asked questions about their health, exercise, and injury history. To prepare for the data collection, participants will be asked to change into a pair of shorts and tight shirt that will be provided. Anatomic measurements will then be made with a measuring tape, and ankle flexibility will be assessed by manually moving the participant's ankle into the most flexed and most extended position.

Reflective markers will then be placed on subject's feet/shoes, legs, thighs, hips, shoulders, and arms to record 3-D limb kinematics. To place the markers, we will put little circles of double-sided tape on skin or clothing, with reflective balls on the outer side. The position of the reflective markers will be recorded by high-speed infrared cameras surrounding the data collection space. Subjects will also be instrumented with electromyography (EMG) sensors on the skin over muscles of the leg, to measure the activity of those muscles. Before placing the EMG sensors, a small patch of skin will be shaved to ensure the sensor stays in place and captures the signals needed.

Once markers have been placed, subjects will stand in the data collection space to record a standing calibration trial of the markers. The standing calibration trial will be used to create a computer model on which data analysis will be performed. Subjects will then walk on a long walkway with the cameras surrounding it at a both self-selected and a set speed of 1.4 m/s. This will be repeated several times until at least 5 successful trials have been recorded. A successful trial means that the walking speed varies by no more than 5 % from the previous trial. Subjects will perform the walking trials barefoot and in the OOFOS sandal and closed toe shoes.

Following the gait analysis described above, calf muscle strength will be assessed using a dynamometer. The subject will sit with the leg, hips, and torso securely strapped to prevent unwanted movement. Subjects will then preform isometric and dynamic contractions; enough repetitions will be allowed to facilitate learning of the technique required.

The final test will be a maximum vertical jump height test. Subjects will stand in the middle of the motion capture area and jump as high as they can from a standing position.

When the above procedures are completed, the research staff will open the intervention assignment envelope that will determine if you are assigned to the intervention or control group.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Anticipated): 60
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Massachusetts
    • Amherst, Massachusetts, United States, 01002
      • Recruiting
      • Musculoskeletal & Orthopedic Biomechanics Laboratory/ University of Massachusetts Amherst
      • Contact: Katherine A Boyer, PhD; Phone Number: 413-545-1717; Email: boyer@umass.edu
      • Principal Investigator: Katherine A Boyer, PhD
      • Sub-Investigator: Ericber Jimenez Francisco, PhD
      • Sub-Investigator: Skylar C Holmes, MS
      • Sub-Investigator: Kali E Shamaly, BS
      • Sub-Investigator: Ramzi M Majaj, MS

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 16 years to 28 years (Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• BMI 18 - 35 kg/m2.
• Stiff or cleated footwear athlete on a competitive team.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Current injury that required absence from one or more practices in the last 3 weeks of regular team practice.
• Orthotic or other shoe insert used outside of athletic training times.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Basic Science
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
No Intervention: Control; Participants assigned to the control group will be asked to continue wearing their typical shoes and to complete every two weeks the footwear and injury log provided
Experimental: Intervention; Individuals assigned to the intervention group will be provided with 2 styles of the OOFOS recovery shoes, and will be asked to wear the OOFOS slide, sandal and/or closed toe shoes as their primary footwear outside training and competition for the 6 weeks between study visits. Intervention participants will also be asked to complete a daily shoe wear log and a shoe comfort assessment survey every other week.	Device: OOFOS Recovery Footwear; The OOFOS shoes/ sandals are a commercially available footwear with a compliant, energy absorbing midsole material.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Calf Muscles Strength	Unilateral isometric and isokinetic strength based on maximal contractions performed on a dynamometer.	2 - 3 hours on week 1
Calf Muscles Strength	Unilateral isometric and isokinetic strength based on maximal contractions performed on a dynamometer.	2 - 3 hours on week 6.
Gait Mechanics	Gait kinematics during overground walk at preferred speed, and 1.4m/s, evaluated with a motion capture system.	Gait analysis test at week 1 with 5 trials of overground walking at a speed of 1.4 m/s
Gait Mechanics	Gait kinematics during overground walk at preferred speed, and 1.4m/s, evaluated with a motion capture system.	Gait analysis test at week 6 with 5 trials of overground walking at a speed of 1.4 m/s
Muscle EMG activity	Unilateral Surface Electromyography of Medial Gastrocnemius, Lateral Gastrocnemius, Vastus Medialis, Vastus Lateralis, Tibialis Anterior, Peroneus Longus, Soleus, Biceps Femoris, and Semitendinosus, during overground walk.	Gait analysis test at week 1 with 5 trials of overground walking at a speed of 1.4 m/s
Muscle EMG activity	Unilateral Surface Electromyography of Medial Gastrocnemius, Lateral Gastrocnemius, Vastus Medialis, Vastus Lateralis, Tibialis Anterior, Peroneus Longus, Soleus, Biceps Femoris, and Semitendinosus, during overground walk.	Gait analysis test at week 6 with 5 trials of overground walking at a speed of 1.4 m/s
Maximum Vertical Jump	Height (m) of center of mass above ground measured by markers place on posterior superior iliac spine.	2 - 3 hours on week 1
Maximum Vertical Jump	Height (m) of center of mass above ground measured by markers place on posterior superior iliac spine.	2 - 3 hours on week 6
Self-reported shoe comfort	Shoe wear and comfort log	Week 0, 5 minutes
Self-reported pain, and injury.	Injury and pain log	Week 0, 5 minutes
Self-reported shoe comfort	Shoe wear and comfort log	Week 2, 5 minutes
Self-reported pain, and injury.	Injury and pain log	Week 2, 5 minutes
Self-reported shoe comfort	Shoe wear and comfort log	Week 4, 5 minutes
Self-reported pain, and injury.	Injury and pain log	Week 4, 5 minutes
Self-reported shoe comfort	Shoe wear and comfort log	Week 6, 5 minutes
Self-reported pain, and injury.	Injury and pain log	Week 6, 5 minutes

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of Massachusetts, Amherst

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): February 8, 2021
• Primary Completion (Anticipated): January 31, 2022
• Study Completion (Anticipated): January 31, 2022

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: March 5, 2021
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 1, 2021
• First Posted (Actual): April 5, 2021

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): April 5, 2021
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 1, 2021
• Last Verified: February 1, 2021

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Pain; Neurologic Manifestations; Joint Diseases; Musculoskeletal Diseases; Arthralgia
• Other Study ID Numbers: 1826

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: No

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No