Biomechanical asymmetries between children’s left and right feet can affect stability and coordination, especially during dynamic movements. This study aimed to examine plantar pressure distribution, foot balance, and center of pressure (COP) trajectories in children during walking, running, and turning activities to understand how different movements influence these asymmetries. Fifteen children participated in the study, using a FootScan plantar pressure plate to capture detailed pressure and balance data. The parameters, including time-varying forces, COP, and Foot Balance Index (FBI), were analyzed through a one-dimensional Statistical Parametric Mapping (SPM1d) package. Results showed that asymmetries in COP and FBI became more pronounced, particularly during the tasks of running and directional turns. Regional plantar pressure analysis also revealed a more significant load on specific foot areas during these dynamic movements, indicating an increased reliance on one foot for stability and control. These findings suggest that early identification of asymmetrical loading patterns may be vital in promoting a balanced gait and preventing potential foot health issues in children. This study contributes to understanding pediatric foot biomechanics and provides insights for developing targeted interventions to support healthy physical development in children.

Torsional stiffness of athletic footwear plays a crucial role in pre-venting injury and improving sports performance. Yet, there is a lack of research focused on the biomechanical effect of torsional stiffness in badminton shoes. This study aimed to comprehen-sively investigate the influence of three different levels of torsional stiffness in badminton shoes on biomechanical character-istics, sports performance, and injury risk in badminton players. Fifteen male players, aged 22.8 ± 1.96 years, participated in the study, performing badminton-specific tasks, including forehand clear stroke [left foot (FCL) and right foot (FCR)], 45-degree sidestep cutting (45C), and consecutive vertical jumps (CVJ). The tasks were conducted wearing badminton shoes of torsional stiffness measured with Shore D hardness 50, 60, and 70 (referred to as 50D, 60D, and 70D, respectively). The primary biomechanical parameters included ankle, knee, and MTP joint kinematics, ankle and knee joint moments, peak ground reaction forces, joint range of motion (ROM), and stance time. A one-way repeated measures ANOVA was employed for normally distributed data and Fried-man tests for non-normally distributed data. The 70D shoe exhib-ited the highest ankle dorsiflexion and lowest ankle inversion peak angles during 45C task. The 60D shoe showed significantly lower knee abduction angle and coronal motions compared to the 50D and 70D shoes. Increased torsional stiffness reduced stance time in the FCR task. No significant differences were observed in anterior-posterior and medial-lateral ground reaction forces (GRF). However, the 70D shoe demonstrated higher vertical GRF than the 50D shoe while performing the FCR task, particularly during 70%-75% of stance. Findings from this study revealed the significant role of torsional stiffness in reducing injury risk and optimizing performance during badminton tasks, indicating that shoes with an intermediate level of stiffness (60D) could provide a beneficial balance between flexibility and stability. These findings may provide practical references in guiding future badminton shoe research and development. Further research is nec-essary to explore the long-term effects of altering stiffness, con-sidering factors such as athletic levels and foot morphology, to understand of the influence of torsional stiffness on motion bio-mechanics and injury prevalence in badminton-specific tasks.

Gymnastics moves are complex and varied, needing precise technique and body coordination, which traditional biomechanics methods struggle to capture in detail. This study aims to look at and judge how well new motion capture and analysis technology works in gymnastics biomechanics. This study picks the kipping bar muscle up move and uses the IMU-based Xsens system and the GymAware RS unit power test system to finely look at how athletes do the move in terms of body position, power, work done by the body, and main upper limb joint movements. The study tested 8 male elite collegiate gymnasts, collecting movement data with Xsens and power data with GymAware RS unit. Results show the kipping bar muscle up takes 1.42 seconds, with a 1.13-meter shift of the body's center and a peak speed of 3.40m/s. In terms of power, the peak output was 2772.96J/s, showing the need for explosive power and fast strength. Also, the total work done was 889.70J, showing the move's efficiency and energy level. This study shows that new motion capture and analysis tech is effective in capturing complex gymnastics moves. The use of these techs not only expands the ways biomechanics can be studied but also helps in making training better and improving how efficiently moves are done.