Acute effect of midsole stiffness on lower extremity biomchanics during lay-up jumping

The purpose of this study was to investigate effect of shoes midsole stiffness on biomechanics of lower extremity joints during Lay-Up (LU) jumping with different stiff midsole shoes. Thirty participants who wore stiff midsole shoes and control shoes performed LU jumps. Kinematics and ground reaction forces were collected. Results showed that ankle degree range of motion, maximum power, energy absorption and energy generation of ankle joint significantly higher in SS group than in CS group (P< 0.05) and no difference was found in jump height and biomechanical characteristics of Metatarsophalangeal (MTP) joint. Although jumping performance of SS group did not improve, the stiffness midsole shoes could influence the biomechanical characteristics of ankle joint, enhance the function of ankle in take-off phase and indirectly improve the athletic performance.