JP2006271409A - Footwear and insole for footwear - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide footwear and an insole for the footwear useful for the prevention of overturning of the elderly or disabled persons and the improvement of sporting performance, the posture, etc. <P>SOLUTION: The footwear has a sole, which has a stepped part crossing the arch part of the footwear in the cross direction of the footwear. The thickness of the sole is thicker in the front of the stepped part and in the part in the rear of the stepped part. The stepped part is preferably either in the shape curving backward from the center in the cross direction of the footwear as seen from the bottom to both ends, or in the straight-lined shape, or in the shape with the thick part which is cut obliquely rearward near both left and right ends of the straight-lined stepped part. The insole for the footwear has preferably the same stepped part as that of the sole of the footwear. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to footwear and an insole for footwear, which are useful for preventing falls of elderly people and functionally disabled people, improving sports performance, improving posture, and the like.

  Conventionally, footwear such as shoes, sandals, high heels or the like generally has a flat shoe sole, and there is a shoe provided with a heel in a region where a heel of a foot is located at a rear portion of the shoe sole. On the other hand, some insoles and insoles of shoes are provided with a bulge at a position where they contact the arch of the foot. When a normal person walks normally, as long as the footwear suitable for the foot of the person wearing the footwear is selected and used, the conventional footwear does not cause any special trouble. However, in recent years, as aging progresses, the number of elderly people who fall is increasing despite wearing footwear that seems to fit their feet. In addition, unlike the young people, the elderly have a high risk of bone fracture and fracture, and there is a problem that it is difficult to repair once a bone fracture occurs.

  In order to solve the above problems, for example, “safety shoes for the elderly” (Patent Document 1) and “shoes for the elderly, disabled or sick” (Patent Document 2) are disclosed. Patent Document 1 describes that the contraction rate of the material of the shoe sole is changed, and a material having a small friction coefficient of the ground contact surface is used to avoid catching with the ground. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H10-228707 describes that the shoe sole is formed so as to protrude rearwardly or outwardly to prevent lateral or rearward overturning. However, the invention described in any of the above-mentioned documents does not provide a fundamental measure for preventing the elderly from falling.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-221103 JP 2002-191403 A

  Elderly people have a slow response to changes in their heels and often fall shortly before they regain their stance when they stumble while walking. As a result of earnest research on the relationship between walking and footwear of the elderly, etc., the present inventor found that the state in which the bottom of the footwear contacts the sole of the pedestrian during walking is the tension and physical sway of the pedestrian's foot The present invention has been found to have a close relationship with the degree, and has come to the present invention. The purpose of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems, prevent falls of elderly people and functionally disabled persons, sports The object is to provide footwear and an insole for footwear that are useful for improving performance and posture.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention comprises a step that passes through the arch portion of footwear and crosses in the width direction of the footwear, the front portion is thinner than the step, and the rear portion is thicker than the step. The footwear is characterized by having a footwear bottom provided with a thick footwear (Claim 1).

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention is characterized in that the step is a shape that curves backward from the center in the width direction of the footwear toward both ends in a bottom view, a shape that is linear, or a linear shape. In the vicinity of the left and right end portions of the step, the footwear is preferably provided with a footwear bottom made of any one of shapes in which a thick portion is obliquely cut rearward (claimed). Item 2).

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the present invention is preferably an insole for footwear characterized by having a step similar to the step of the footwear bottom.

(Function)
Usually, when skeletal muscle contracts, motor neuron excitement occurs prior to muscle fiber contraction. This is the same for both reflex movement and voluntary movement. At this time, when a low level of excitement continues to be transmitted to the motor neuron in advance, that is, when the skeletal muscle is in an idling state, if a high level of excitement is transmitted, the start of muscle activity that promotes muscle fiber contraction is initiated. It appears earlier. Since the footwear and footwear insole of the present invention are configured as described above, the sole of the foot of the pedestrian, particularly the back side of the arch, is pressed by the insole of the footwear or the foot insole during walking, and By repeating the separating operation, an appropriate stimulus and tension are generated on the sole of the foot, and this stimulus is transmitted to the brain, causing an appropriate excitement in motor neurons such as the soleus muscle. In this state, if a high level of excitement for a movement that responds to a trip or the like is transmitted, muscle activity to prevent the fall starts at an early stage, and it is possible to create a posture to avoid the fall. It is based on the mechanism that it is possible to prevent falls by preventing the situation and maintaining the posture.

(effect)
Since the footwear and the insole for footwear according to the present invention are configured as described above, it is possible to prevent an elderly person or a functionally disabled person from falling down and improve the posture. In addition, since moderate onset of motoneurons such as soleus muscles and the onset of muscular activity that promotes muscle fiber contraction occurs earlier, for example, gymnastics, dance, athletics, etc. For sports that require agility and stability, sports performance is effective. In addition, since the footwear and the insole for footwear of the present invention are not so different in appearance from ordinary shoes etc., they can be applied not only to elderly people and functionally disabled people but also to commuting shoes and sports shoes of healthy people. Is higher and better. When a normal person wears it, the effect of being easy to walk and run and less fatigue is obtained.

  Next, the best mode for carrying out the present invention (hereinafter referred to as “embodiment of the present invention”) will be described with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited by the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is an explanatory view illustrating a state where a foot is in contact with a shoe sole according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a bottom view illustrating the shoe sole of a shoe according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the relationship between the shoe and the soleus according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is an explanatory view illustrating the relationship between a conventional shoe and the soleus.

  The footwear according to the present invention is not limited to shoes, sandals, high heels and the like, and can be applied regardless of the presence or absence of heels. In the embodiment of the present invention, shoes such as athletic shoes are used. An example will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the shoe sole 2 of the shoe 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention includes a step 5 that passes through the intermediate portion 4 of the arch portion 3 and crosses in the width direction of the footwear. The front portion 6 is thinner and the rear portion 7 is thicker than the step. The middle part 4 of the arch part 3 is a part surrounded by the front and rear transverse lines (F) and (B) from the center line (C) of the arch part shown in FIG. Say 60-70% area. The step is preferably provided so as to pass through the middle part of the arch. FIG. 2 shows the shape of the step from the bottom view, (a) shows a step that curves backward from the center in the width direction of the shoe toward both ends, (b) shows a linear step, (C) shows the level | step difference which cut the thick part diagonally back in the vicinity of the right-and-left both ends of a linear level | step difference. Any shape step has the above effect, but the curved step (a) is particularly preferable.

  Further, the shape of the step as viewed from the side is preferably provided in a trapezoidal shape that is slightly inclined from the sole toward the ground surface as shown in FIG. And it is preferable to provide so that the edge part by the side of the thin part of this level | step difference may be located in the vicinity of the top of an arch part from the substantially middle of an arch part. Moreover, although the height of the step is not particularly limited, it is preferably provided in the range of 5 mm to 30 mm. However, it goes without saying that the height and shape of the step can be arbitrarily set according to the type of footwear and the shape of the foot.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the step may be convex on the ground surface side, but may be convex on the sole side (not shown). In this case, it is preferable that the slope of the step is formed slightly gently so as not to cause an uncomfortable feeling on the sole. The footwear according to the present invention can be manufactured by the same method using the same material as that of the normal footwear except that the step is provided on the foot sole.

  Next, the contact state of the shoe sole 2 and the foot 8 of the shoe according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIGS. 1A, 1B, and 1C show the contact state (thick line portion) between the sole and the sole of the shoe during no load, full load, and walking, respectively. When no weight is applied (a), the arch portion 3 is in a state of being separated from the shoe sole 2, and the sense of tension is significance (-). On the other hand, the toes 10 are in contact with the sole because they are horizontally lower by the thickness of the heel, and the tension is somewhat significant (+). At the time of full weight (b), the arch portion 3 of the shoe sole 2 is lifted upward, and when walking (c), the toes 10 and the arch 3 are in close contact with the shoe sole 2, and the sense of tension is significant ( ++). In the case of a conventional shoe or the like, a gap is generated between the toes and the arch and the shoe sole at the time of full load and walking, whereas the shoe according to the embodiment of the present invention lacks a sense of stability. In the case of, it is understood that the sense of stability is high.

  Next, the relationship between the sole 2 of the shoe 1 and the soleus 9 of the foot according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described. Here, the soleus 9 is a lower layer of the gastrocnemius and forms the triceps surae (calf) with the inner and outer gastrocnemius, and the lower ends of both muscles are combined to form an Achilles tendon. It is suggested that the soleus is closely related to posture control and bipedal walking. As shown in FIG. 3, when the shoes according to the embodiment of the present invention are worn, the tension between the toe portion 10 and the arch 3 is the significance (+) at the time of full weight (a). However, the tension of the soleus is still significant (+-). During walking (b), the tension between the footpad 10 and the arch 3 immediately increases, and at the same time, the tension in the soleus 9 increases to a significance level (++). On the other hand, in the case of the conventional product, as shown in FIG. 4, the tension of the toe portion 3 and the arch 10 is significant (−), and therefore, the tension of the soleus is also significant (−). is there. Even during walking, the tension of the soleus is only significant (−) to significant (+ −), and lacks tension compared to the product of the present invention. The tension or excitability of the soleus muscle can be obtained, for example, by measuring the muscle action potential during exercise.

  The shoe according to the embodiment of the present invention has been described. However, if the shoe sole of the shoe is replaced with a shoe insole, the above description can be applied as it is to the shoe insole, so the description of the shoe insole is omitted. To do. As a kind of shoes concerning an embodiment of the invention, it is applicable to various shoes, such as sneakers casual shoes or pumps business shoes.

  Next, the present inventor created footwear and an insole with a footwear provided with the above steps for sneakers, casual shoes and sandals. Then, in the 60's and 80's, people who were somewhat incapacitated, 5 people were selected as monitors, and the footwear was used for 1 month, and the opinions of each monitor were heard. As a result, it was reported that the footwear provided with a step has a sense of stability because the back side of the toes and the arch part are in contact with the shoe sole during walking, and the footsteps hardly fall over. As for the shoes with insole, the result is that it is more stable than the conventional shoes, although it is slightly lower in effect compared to the shoes with the soles with the above-mentioned steps, and there are few falls due to tripping. It was.

  The footwear and the insole for footwear according to the present invention are useful for preventing falls of elderly people and functionally disabled people, improving sports performance and improving posture, and are particularly useful for the coming of an aging society.

It is explanatory drawing which shows the state which a leg | foot contacts the shoe sole of the shoes which concern on embodiment of this invention. It is a bottom view which shows the shoe sole of the shoes which concern on embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the relationship between the shoes which concern on embodiment of this invention, and a soleus. It is explanatory drawing which shows the relationship between the conventional shoes and the soleus.

Explanation of symbols

1: shoes, 2: shoe sole, 3: arch part, 4: middle part, 5: step, 5h: height of step, 6: front part, 7: back part, 8: foot, 9: soleus, 10 : Toes,
C: Center line, F: Front transverse line, B: Rear transverse line

Claims (3)

The footwear has a step that passes through the arch of the footwear and crosses in the width direction of the footwear, and has a footwear bottom in which the front portion is thinner than the step and the rear portion is thicker than the step. The characteristic footwear. The step is a thick portion in the shape of a shape that curves backward from the center in the width direction of the footwear toward the both ends in a bottom view, a shape that is linear, or the right and left ends of the linear step. The footwear according to claim 1, further comprising a footwear bottom made of any of the shapes obtained by obliquely cutting the back. An insole for footwear comprising a step similar to the step of the footwear bottom according to claim 1 or 2.

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