Shoeless: A Quantitative Analysis of Gait Alterations in Shod Versus Barefoot Walking

Barefoot walking has gained significant popularity over the past two decades, leading to extensive debate about its biomechanical implications. This project aimed to investigate spatial-temporal and kinematic differences between shod and barefoot walking. To obtain gait parameters such as walking speed, stride length, cadence, and width, a markerless motion capture system, OpenCap, was used. Further hip, knee, and ankle joint angles and angular velocities were analyzed using discrete measures and one-dimensional SPM across the gait cycle. A total of 25 participants (12 females and 13 males) were included in this study. The participants performed three walking trials in shod conditions and three in barefoot conditions. The results established that barefoot walking leads to a decrease in walking speed and stride length, followed by an increase in cadence. Barefoot walking was associated with lower maximum hip and knee angles. SPM identified significant, phase-specific differences in hip, knee, and ankle kinematics throughout stance and swing phases. These findings demonstrate that an acute change in footwear condition alters both overall gait characteristics and phase-specific lower-limb kinematics. From an ergonomic perspective, these adaptations highlight the importance of considering human–footwear interaction when evaluating footwear design, comfort, and function. Smartphone-based markerless motion capture may also provide an accessible approach for ergonomic assessment of footwear-related movement adaptations.