Novel testing system to determine shoe mechanical properties.

Background: Shoes play an important role in ankle foot orthosis (AFO) function and alignment. Despite this, shoe mechanical testing systems are rarely colocated with gait analysis systems, limiting their availability and use during AFO-related studies.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate a novel mechanical testing system used to measure shoe heel stiffness and change in height with loading using equipment available in most gait analysis laboratories.