Footwear designers of high-heeled shoes are faced with the challenge of maintaining a balance between fashion and function. Several studies have investigated the effects of high-heeled shoes on human gait, especially concerning stability, step length, and stride length. 

In this study – conducted by Tekscan applications engineers – the researchers sought to measure how different high-heeled shoe lengths would affect a subject’s center of force trajectory (CoFT). A Strideway™ system was used to measure and record the subject’s gait pattern.

While in-shoe gait analysis systems are often used in footwear assessment, this unique case provided insightful parameters to evaluate the effects of footwear.