The role of the midfoot in lower limb energetics

Biomechanical studies typically model the ankle as a rigid foot segment, and thus the contribution of structures within the foot to overall leg stiffness has been largely neglected. We designed a study to investigate the contributions of the ankle, midfoot and forefoot to lower limb stiffness. We hypothesized that with increasing hopping frequency, midfoot stiffness would increase in a similar manner to the ankle. Generally, the midfoot was stiffer than the ankle, but both structures increased stiffness with hopping frequency (P < 0.0001). These findings suggests that mechanics of the midfoot may be adjusted in a similar fashion to the ankle during single leg hopping.