Humans have stiffer feet than other primates for a very good reason.
As a much younger man, your Back Page correspondent was a moderately keen runner and occasional participant in a half-marathon or two.
These days, however, running would only be considered an exercise option if being pursued by the bear from The Revenant, and even then a gentle jog would be all we could muster.
A brisk 50-minute walk, on the other hand, has become the daily, if somewhat futile, attempt to slow down the ravages of time.
Perhaps what your ageing correspondent could do with is a pair of super squeezy socks, designed to stiffen the forefoot and make the routine stroll a more effective undertaking.
According to research released this week by boffins at the University of Texas, wearing custom-built socks that apply extra pressure around the front of the foot can result in “more economical calf-muscle contractions”.
Publishing in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B, the researchers tell us that greater efficiency can lower a person’s whole-body metabolic rate when walking by 2%, a reduction in effort equivalent to losing two kilograms of excess weight from the waist.
The authors said the socks “mitigated forefoot splay and stiffened the medial longitudinal arch” meaning that walking with stiffer feet reduced user metabolic rate by eliciting more economical ankle extensor muscle contractions.
The findings support the idea that we evolved stiffer feet to make it easier for us to walk upright, which could explain why we have stiffer feet than other primates, they said.
“In modern-day humans, foot-stiffening socks accomplished a goal yet to be achieved by shoes – reduce whole-body metabolic rate during walking at common speeds.”
The study team reckon their discovery could present an opportunity for clothing makers of the future.
“By applying pressure to specific regions of the body, well-designed clothing offered a practical way to make walking less effortful throughout everyday life,” they concluded.
Your scribe would certainly be keen to purchase a pair, because while the super socks won’t help us lose weight or get any fitter, they could make us a more highly evolved walker.
And who wouldn’t want to claim that?
Put your best foot forward by sending story tips to Holly@medicalrepublic.com.au.
