Department of Industrial Management
Chung-Hua University
No. 707, Sec.2, WuFu Rd., Hsinchu, Taiwan 300, R.O.C
There are two commonly held beliefs concerning high-heeled shoes for females. The first is that high-heeled shoes are prone to cause slipping accidents. The second is that high-heeled shoes heighten the muscular load on the lower legs more than low-heeled shoes. Reports on high-heeled shoe slip resistance assessment together with a discussion on leg muscular activities when wearing high heels are, however, rare in the literature. This study assessed four commonly used female shoes, two high heels and two flat-soled shoes on four floor tiles via friction measurements and a gait experiment. In the gait experiment, the electromyographic (EMG) activities of the four muscles on the right shank of the subjects were recorded. Subjective ratings for shoe/floor slipperiness and the muscular effort in the right shank were also collected. The friction measurement results showed that the coefficient of friction (COF) for the rubber-soled high-heeled shoes was significantly lower than that for the other three shoes. Conversely, the COF for the polyurethane-soled high-heeled shoes was significantly greater than that for the other three shoes. The gait experiment results showed that high-heeled shoes resulted in significantly greater normalized EMG for the tibialis anterior, peroneus longus and soleus in the right shank during walking. The subjective rating results showed that high heels were unfavorable in terms of both slip-resistance and muscular effort in the right shank. Based on assessment of the four shoes, wearing flat-soled shoes, compared to the high heels, has the benefits of lower shank muscular load and proper slip resistance. This study provides a scientific basis for shoe designers when designing suitable female footwear concerning slip resistance and the muscular load on the lower legs.
Keywords: footwear assessment, coefficient of friction, EMG, subjective rating
(*Contact: E-mail kai@chu.edu.tw )
Cite this article as: Kai Way Li, "An Ergonomic Assessment of Four Female Shoes: Friction Coefficients of the Soles on the Floors and Electromyographic Activities in the Shank When Walking," Journal of the Chinese Institute of Industrial Engineers, 20, 472-480 (2003).