Is there really such a thing as "Go Go Gadget Shoes?" The cartoon character "Inspector Gadget" had many different special gadgets. The gadgets were stored all over his body. They were available to help him get out of trouble. Some of his most commonly used gadgets included binoculars, inflating trench coat, telescoping legs or arms, skates and even springs. The closest to "Go Go Gadget Shoes" were the springs. They could be put on his head to allow him to bounce off his head when falling or put on his legs to jump.

While there may not actually be such a thing as "Go Go Gadget Shoes," shoe manufacturers have still tried to create special shoes. These shoes try to improve performance, burn more calories, tone muscles and many other things through design of shoes. Recently in a previous blog the claims that some of the balance, rocker, toning or similar shoes that are unstable help to burn more calories, tone muscles, improve posture, and reduce joint stress were discussed.

But what about shoes that can improve performance, such as jumping performance? A recent article¹ looked into shoes that cause the heel to be lower than the forefoot (dorsi flexed). The study used 21 healthy females. They wore popular dorsi flexion shoes. The shoes caused the heel to be about four degrees lower than the forefoot. Performance of the subjects was compared against wearing regular shoes while performing a single bout squat jump and a countermovement jump.

Results indicated that while wearing the dorsi flexion shoes, individuals recorded increased jump performance as measured on a force platform. These results are consistent with previous studies which analyzed jumping on an angled platform. Conclusions as to why the shoes have such effect are thought to be that the calf muscle is slightly stretched at the start of the jump. As a result of this stretch, the muscle may have increased stored elastic energy that can be used in the pushing phase of the jump.

One current drawback of this new information is that most of the current dorsi flexion shoes on the market tend to be fairly heavy and may negate the jumping benefits due to the increased weight. In addition, there is currently limited research on long term effect of wearing dorsi flexion shoes or of the effect of any added stress added in landing, if any. Thus if used, just like any new demand placed on the body, it should be slowly incorporated and used with caution. 

If this change in shoes can really make a difference, do you think sports that jump height can make a significant difference in should regulate usage of them? 

¹Faiss, R., Terrier, P., Praz, M., Fuchslocher, J., Gobelet, C., Deriaz, O. Influence of Initial Foot Dorsal Flexion on Vertical Jump and Running Performance. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 24: 2352- 2357, 2010.

The Cooper Institute, as a 501c.3. nonprofit, does not endorse any product, service or linked to entity.