3. RESULTS

RESULTS

The graphs below analyze the two subjects in the three conditions of the study: walking barefoot, walking in low high heels (2"), and walking in tall high heels (4"). These graphs depict how heel height influences the angles of the knee and ankle joints, as well as the stride and step length. In all graphs the orange line represents Subject 1 and the blue line represents Subject 2. The raw data that are displayed in the graphs can be seen in Table 1.

Figure 1 depicts the way that knee flexion changes with heel height. A progressive relative increase in knee flexion can be seen in both subjects as heel height increases. Figure 2 is representative of the subjects' stride length values. Subject 2 exhibited a progressive decrease in stride length, which was to be expected, while Subject 1 saw an increase followed by a decrease. The increase seen in Subject 1 is likely due to one or more of the limitations described in the discussion section. Figure 3 is a graph depicting the changes in step length. The same trend seen in stride length was seen in step length for both subjects due to the fact that an increase in stride length depends on an increase in individual step length. Lastly, Figure 4 depicts how heel height affects ankle plantar flexion, suggesting there is a relative increase in plantar flexion of the ankle as heel height increases.

Figure 1. This figure portrays the changes in knee flexion as it relates to the shoe type. Subject 1 is represented by the blue line and Subject 2 is represented by the orange line.

Figure 2. This figure portrays the changes in stride length as it relates to the shoe type. Subject 1 is represented by the blue line and Subject 2 is represented by the orange line.

Figure 3. This figure portrays the changes in step length as it relates to the shoe type. Subject 1 is represented by the blue line and Subject 2 is represented by the orange line.

Figure 4. This figure portrays the changes in ankle plantar flexion as it relates to the shoe type. Subject 1 is represented by the blue line and Subject 2 is represented by the orange line.