The Foot-Footwear Interaction in the Analysis of Foot Comfort and Footwear Quality

The aim of the study is to analyse the foot-footwear interaction. It has two different parts. The first part includes a foot health evaluation, using ESP questionnaire, a visual identification of the foot disorders and anomalies and the taking of the footprint and subsequent gait analysis. In order to exemplify this relation, a subject with foot anomalies was considered. The ESP score determined for the subject indicates a very good health status with minor health problems. Obviously, this score must be correlated with the age of the subject. The result of the ESP questionnaire justifies a deeper research because, in this case, the subject is young. The footprint analysis highlights a semi high arch foot and the gait analysis emphasizes two important abnormal aspects. The second part includes the analysis of a pair of shoes and the calculation of the shoe quality index. The calculation was carried out for a comfortable shoe with a lower degree of wear. The index can be calculated with or without input information from the subject. The results can be different and highlight the most important footwear requirements for the subject.