Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine how toe-out foot landing position influences
ground reaction forces (GRF) during gait.
Design: Values of GRF components recorded with a force platform were used to compare 3D GRF
vectors of toe-out and non toe-out (including neutral and toe-in) foot landing positions.
Methods: Thirty-two healthy males (ranging from 19-21 years old) were repeatedly assigned three foot
landing positions: maximum toe-out, maximum toe-in and neutral. Each participant walked with three foot
landing positions across a force platform while their three-dimensional motion was captured.
Results: No differences were observed for vertical or anteroposterior GRF among three foot landing
positions (p > 0.05). For mediolateral GRF, higher medial loading forces appeared at the first and second
peaks in toe-out landing position when compared with non toe-out gaits (p < 0.05). Also earlier and later
occurrences appeared at the 1st and 2nd peaks in toe-out landing position respectively (p < 0.05).
Conclusion: We provide evidence of toe-out, toe-in and neutral foot landing positions on GRF using a
kinetic study. It is suggested that individuals who walk with greater degrees of toe-out angle create
greater medial GRF during the contact and propulsive phases. ( Tw J Phys Med Rehabil 2010; 38(2): 65
- 73 )
