First responder professionals are at high risk for work-related injuries (e.g., extreme temperatures, chemical and biological threats); boots are essential to ensure body protection since they have ...full contact with the ground in all scenarios. A substantial body of work has investigated the necessity of improvements in protective boots, but there is limited research conducted on boots with fit-adjustable fasteners for secure and adjustable fit within this context. Thus, this study explored the areas for improvement in boot design for the development of form-fitting and yet comfortable boots focusing on two different boot designs, prototype all-hazards tactical boots (lace-up) and rubber boots (slip-on). Findings indicated that the boot design should address participants’ concerns with the material choices of boots, specifically with bulkiness, weight, and flexibility. Our findings provide insights into boot material and design choices to improve protective boots for first responders.
At all times, clothing has been the most important element that helps a man to get used to new climatic and geographical conditions, therefore it is able to characterize the picture of society at ...every stage of its development.At the regional level, clothing research is mainly of a historical and cultural orientation, but ethnographic research of clothing is needed, which would accurately describe the subject of the research, its graphic image, design and technological features, since over time the invaluable experience of its production will be forgotten and lost. The article discusses footwear (clothes for legs) for men, women and children of linear villages, starting from its archaic variants to modern ones; methods for the production of footwear (woven, sewn, molded), materials for the manufacture of footwear – vegetable origin (wood bark, reed stalks, hemp ropes), animal origin (leather, wool) and chemical (rubber), as well as its design and technological features.
The aim of this scoping review was to investigate the impact of footwear on worker physical task performance and injury risk. The review was guided by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic ...Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews protocol and registered in the Open Science Framework. Key search terms were entered into five academic databases. Following a dedicated screening process and critical appraisal, data from the final articles informing this review were extracted, tabulated, and synthesised. Of 19,614 identified articles, 50 articles informed this review. Representing 16 countries, the most common populations investigated were military and firefighter populations, but a wide range of general occupations (e.g., shipping, mining, hairdressing, and healthcare workers) were represented. Footwear types included work safety boots/shoes (e.g., industrial, gumboots, steel capped, etc.), military and firefighter boots, sports shoes (trainers, tennis, basketball, etc.) and various other types (e.g., sandals, etc.). Occupational footwear was found to impact gait and angular velocities, joint ranges of motion, posture and balance, physiological measures (like aerobic capacity, heart rates, temperatures, etc.), muscle activity, and selected occupational tasks. Occupational footwear associated with injuries included boots, conventional running shoes, shoes with inserts, harder/stiffer outsoles or thin soles, and shoes with low comfort scores-although the findings were mixed. Occupational footwear was also linked to potentially causing injuries directly (e.g., musculoskeletal injuries) as well as leading to mechanisms associated with causing injuries (like tripping and slipping).
...we aimed to (i) identify any differences in the shape of the feet of male and female netball players and (ii) classify the foot types of men to help inform netball shoe design recommendations for ...male netball players. Differences between men and women for the absolute values and the values normalised to foot length, and stature were identified using independent samples t-tests with a Bonferroni adjusted alpha level. The cluster analysis categorised the men’s feet into three groups - voluminous, flat-pointed and slender.
Foot injuries have been a problem among Thai farmers for a long time. The sowing process is one of the high-risk processes because farmers have to walk in the field to spray rice seed without ...footwear. Literature review showed that cuts from stepping on sharp material or snail shells were major sources of injury. Traditional footwear such as Ninja shoes or cloth socks have raised the questions regarding their ability in protection from such injuries. This study investigates using Neoprene diving boots to protect from foot injuries during the rice sowing process. The sample from this study were farmers from Sena District, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Province, Thailand. 29 farmer wearing Neoprene diving boots, 7 farmers wearing traditional Ninja shoes, and 19 farmers wearing cloth socks were asked to work in the sowing process and interviewed about any foot injuries that may have occurred. The statistical test showed there were no significant differences in characteristics among each group of farmers, except for work experience. The results show that there were no foot injuries in farmers wearing Neoprene diving boots, whereas 73% of farmers wearing Ninja shoes, and 14% of farmers wearing cloth socks still had foot injuries. Most injuries were alaceration that were caused by the golden apple snail. The satisfaction survey showed that farmers were satisfied and strongly satisfied with all of the aesthetics, utilization, and functionality factors. This study suggested that the Neoprene diving boots can be recommended for farmers to use as safeguarding against foot injuries in the rice sowing process.
Introduction: Netball, originally known as ‘women’s basketball’, was initially designed and traditionally administered as a sport exclusively for women. Since the early 1980’s, however, male ...participation in netball has grown with a 48% and 240% increase in men’s and boy's participation in netball since 2016, respectively. ...this study aimed: (i) to document the current footwear profiles and foot-related problems reported by male netball players and (ii) to determine whether the foot-related problems differed between men who wore netball-specific shoes and men who did not. Methods: 279 amateur, sub-elite and elite male netball players completed a custom-design online survey with questions pertaining to netball experience, current netball footwear habits and history of foot-related problems.
Boots are often used in sports, occupations, and rehabilitation. However, there are few studies on the biomechanical alterations after wearing boots. The current study aimed to compare the effects of ...running shoes and boots on running biomechanics. Kinematics and ground reaction forces were recorded from 17 healthy males during running at 3.3 m/s with shoe and boot conditions. Temporal distance gait variables, ground reaction force components as well as lower limb joints angle, moment, and power were compared using Paired t-test and Statistical Parametric Mapping package for time-series analysis. Running with boots was associated with greater stride, step, flight, and swing times, greater flight length, and smaller cadence (p<0.05). The only effect of boots on lower limb joints kinematics during running was a reduction in ankle range of motion (p<0.05). Significantly greater hip flexor, abductor, and internal rotator moments, greater knee extensor and abductor moments, and ankle plantar flexor moments were observed at push-off phase of running as well as greater ankle dorsiflexor moment at early-stance in boot condition (p<0.05). Also, knee joint positive power was greater with a significant temporal shift in boot condition, suggesting a compensatory mechanism in response to limited ankle range of motion and the inability of the ankle joint to generate the required power. Our findings showed that running with boots is physically more demanding and is associated with a greater net contribution of muscles spanning hip and knee joints in order to generate more power and compensate for the ankle joint limitations, consequently, may increase the risk of both musculoskeletal injuries and degenerative joint diseases.
Purpose The purpose of this study was to analyze the effect of various shoes on the static and dynamic balance of young women in their 20s. Subjects and Methods The subjects of the study were 15 ...healthy young women and repeated measured design. The subjects walked on the treadmill at a speed of 4 km/h for 30 minutes wearing three types of shoes: sneaker, rain boots, and combat boots. Balance was measured by a Romberg test and a limits of stability test. One-way ANOVA was used for statistical analysis. Results As the results of the Romberg test, the main effect of time was shown in the EO-COG area, EO-COG length, and EO-COG velocity. As the results of the limits of stability test, the main effects of time in LT, RT, FW, and total. There were significant differences in the LT in the sneaker group, the rain boots group, and the LT and RT in the combat boots group between the pre- and post-test. Conclusion The characteristics of shoes such as the materials, hardness, and thickness of the soles, the coefficient of friction of the outsoles, and the collar height affected the static and dynamic balance.
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