Effects of load carriage and footwear on spatiotemporal parameters, kinematics, and metabolic cost of walking

•We compare the effects of loading and footwear on walking gait.•Loading increases cost of walking.•Loading does not influence spatiotemporal parameters.•Spatiotemporal changes while barefoot are not influenced by loading.

Gait patterns are commonly altered when walking or running barefoot compared to shod conditions. Although controversy exists as to whether barefoot conditions result in lower metabolic costs, it is clear that adding load to the body results in increased metabolic costs. The effects of footwear and backpack loading have been investigated separately, but it is unclear whether manipulating both simultaneously would cause similar outcomes. Twelve healthy individuals (7 female, 5 male) with no obvious gait abnormalities participated in this study (age = 24 ± 2 years, height = 1.73 ± 0.13 m, and mass = 71.1 ± 16.9 kg). Steady state metabolic data and 3D motion capture were collected during treadmill walking at 1.5 m s−1 in four conditions: Barefoot Unloaded, Shod Unloaded, Barefoot Loaded, and Shod Loaded. Barefoot walking elicited shorter stride lengths, stance and double support times, as well as a slight (≈1%), but not significant, decrease in metabolic cost. Loading increased metabolic costs of walking but did not elicit spatiotemporal changes in either footwear condition. Lower limb kinematic differences were noted in response to both loading and footwear. Changes in spatiotemporal parameters observed when walking barefoot were not exacerbated by the addition of a backpack load. This suggests that the increased metabolic demand associated with the load is met with a similar spatiotemporal pattern whether a person wears a supportive shoe or not. Thus, the discomfort associated with foot strike while barefoot that promotes spatiotemporal changes seems to be independent of load.