Analysis of windlass mechanism according to one walking cycle.
Takashi Shiroshita
PMID 38562535WHAT IT FOUND
The foot arch was lowest near 50% of walking, when ankle dorsiflexion, ankle plantarflexion moment, and forward body weight peaked.
It rose highest at 62%, as stance ended with little toe contact. A previously unreported arch spike appeared at 69% in swing.
Key findings
01At 50% of the walking cycle, ankle dorsiflexion, ankle plantarflexion moment, and forward center of gravity movement reached their maximum values, while the foot arch height was at its minimum.
02The foot arch reached its highest stance-phase value at 62% of the walking cycle, when stance ended and toe contact with the floor was almost absent.
03A previously unreported spike in arch height appeared at 69% of the walking cycle during swing in many participants, but it was absent in five participants.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The study measured 20 young adults, mean age 21.2 ± 0.4 years, with no reported ankle injury requiring medical admission in the past 6 months, so it may not apply to older adults or patients with foot or ankle problems. It was a motion analysis study, not a treatment trial, and it did not report pain, function, or clinical outcomes. The loading response from 0% to 12% of the walking cycle was deliberately omitted from analysis. The arch height spike at 69% was not present in five participants, so it was not universal.
Declared interests
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the late-stance arch change as proof that the plantar aponeurosis creates push-off. The arch height was lowest at 49% of the walking cycle, and its stance-phase peak was at 62% when toe contact was almost absent.