Treatment and PreventionBasic Research: How We Walk HealthilyDoing the Research series

24 March 2026, by Anna Priebe

Photo: AdobeStock/Maryana

Living and walking on as healthy feet as possible is essential for people of all ages. Prof. Dr. Astrid Zech, a professor of exercise and training science and head of the department of the same name at the Faculty of Psychology and Human Movement Science, is investigating how this can be achieved, what measures can help with health conditions, and what actual benefits walking barefoot provides.

Our feet literally carry us through life, and misalignments can have consequences for our overall health. What significance does gait hold in the field of Human Movement Science?

A very significant one, because upright gait defines us as humans. From an evolutionary perspective, we are the only mammals that move this way on a permanent basis. This development has enabled us to use tools and forms the basis of our cognitive abilities. However, it has also shifted the load on the entire body from four to two extremities. This means more strain on all the joints that have to support the body, and especially on the feet. The more weight the feet have to bear over time and the older we get, the more damage can result. That is why it is important to understand, from a biomechanical perspective, what happens when we walk in everyday life, what a healthy gait pattern looks like, and how to correct incorrect patterns.

To this end, we study people of all age groups. With toddlers, the focus is on how they develop their gait based on their anatomical conditions; with older children and adults, we are particularly interested in how various factors—such as injuries or certain types of shoes—alter gait patterns and what effects this, in turn, has on the body. A doctoral student is currently beginning her dissertation, in which she is investigating how gait changes in pregnant women over the course of the trimesters.

What does the research involve?

Our work always focuses on biomechanics—essentially, the physics of the body. A central aspect is kinematics, which includes factors such as joint angles, stride length, and stride width. A second important factor is dynamics, or in other words: the forces exerted by the foot on the ground and, conversely, those exerted by the ground on the feet.

Both of these define our gait. To collect data and identify changes, we conduct experiments under controlled conditions in the laboratory. We work with various measurement methods, infrared camera systems, and video recordings, which allow us to highlight and compare different aspects of walking. There are now also very good sensors that enable us to capture many of these values in everyday life.

In studies conducted over longer periods, we often have participants fill out diaries in parallel to incorporate their perspective. This also allows us to ensure that the participants actually carry out the tasks—such as wearing specific shoes or insoles—in their daily lives.

A particular focus of your work is on the effects of walking barefoot compared to walking in shoes. What did you investigate in this area?

In previous studies, we had found that wearing or not wearing shoes alters gait patterns. We wanted to specifically investigate the long-term effects of walking barefoot on children’s foot health and motor skills. To do this, we naturally needed children who walk barefoot frequently and for long periods in their daily lives—and in Germany, this is usually not permitted for insurance reasons, such as in daycare or school. That is why we collaborated with colleagues from Stellenbosch in South Africa. We compared the foot health of children there with that of children from Hamburg and the surrounding area. The study, which was supported by state research funding, ultimately included around 1,000 participants between the ages of six and 18.

When buying shoes, we usually only look at the length, but hardly ever at the width or height of the shoe

What did you find out?

In comparison, we found that children in South Africa have significantly higher arches, which we attribute to the fact that walking barefoot has helped them develop more strength in their foot muscles. Their feet were also slightly wider because they were able to develop more naturally without shoes. When buying shoes, we usually only look at the length, but hardly ever at the width or height of the shoe—and so it often becomes a small corset that restricts the foot’s development.

In analyzing running biomechanics, we also found that the children in both groups differed in their foot strike patterns when running faster. This also had an impact on motor skills tests: We had the children sprint, jump, and balance—and the children from South Africa performed significantly better at balancing and jumping.

What do these results mean in practice?

Where barefoot running isn’t possible, so-called minimalist shoes can be useful. They are also colloquially referred to as barefoot shoes. Basically, they are characterized by being very light and flexible, and due to their flat sole, they lack cushioning properties. Our studies show that these shoes remain a good method even in later life for training the muscles in the foot and gaining diverse sensorimotor experiences. The prerequisite is that one has no pre-existing orthopedic conditions and gives the feet time to get used to the shoes.

In your research, however, you also deal with conditions that affect gait. Can you give an example here?

We have just completed a project focusing on children with cerebral palsy. Due to damage to the central nervous system, these children suffer from spasticity in the legs and have feet that are severely turned inward, causing them to develop a very specific gait pattern. Here, we collaborate with medical colleagues to investigate the effectiveness of common therapies and explore new approaches. We have examined the comparative influence of different shoe materials on gait. Here, too, we observed that minimalist shoes, for example, can have a rather positive influence on gait patterns.

So your work has both therapeutic and preventive potential?

That’s correct. While there isn’t just one “healthy” gait pattern, there is a certain framework. We want to understand the various components in detail and can then apply that knowledge in different areas. For example, I focus a lot on the connection between leg muscle strength, core stability, and gait patterns. The question is, what methods can be used to build and maintain muscle strength—and what effects that has. This can be significant, for example, in fall prevention, which is one of the primary goals of intervention in sports for older adults. Older adults tend to walk more slowly and take longer strides. As a result, they fall more easily. We are researching how a fast walking speed can be maintained well into old age. This could be a key factor in preventing falls and their consequences in the long term.

(This content has been translated automatically)