Form and function: gait adaptation in the chinese bound foot

The custom of Bound foot among Chinese females had been practiced for over a thousand years, which was prohibited since early 20th century. This study recruited elderly Chinese females with bound feet and normal feet. Gait analysis were performed, and results from kinematics and plantar pressure tests were used as boundary conditions for the finite element simulation of bound and normal feet. Reduced ankle joint range of motion were observed and highly concentrated plantar loading to the heel region was found. Consistent with experimental results and previous findings of increased bone mineral density, high von Mises stress was observed in the calcaneus of bound foot model. This unique form-function relation from the walk gait and tissue formation may highlight adaptation that could be found in minimal amounts of this special populations.