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Terminal Contact (TC): The point in the gait cycle when the foot leaves the ground: this represents the end of the stance phase or beginning of the swing phase. Also referred to as foot off or toe off. Toe-off should not be used in situations where the toe is not the last part of the foot to leave the ground.
Terminal Swing: The final third of the swing phase from 78% to 100% of the gait cycle as defined from the time when the tibia is vertical to initial contact. To learn more, View The Swing Phase
Toe-Off (TO): When terminal contact is made with the toe.
Transverse Plane: The plane that divides the body or body segment into anterior (front) and posterior (back) parts. To learn more, View The Transverse Plane
Trusstic System®: A molded component which reduces the weight of the sole unit while retaining the structural integrity of the shoe.
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WET GRIP®: A specialized blend of compounds designed to enhance traction.
Widths: The 2A and B narrow widths offer better fit and comfort, while the 2E and 4E wide widths provide a stable platform.
Windlass Mechanism: Hicks, in 1954, was the first to describe the rising of the medial longitudinal arch, with tightening of the plantar fascia without direct muscular action, in a phenomenon he coined the Windlass Mechanism). Hicks used this term because he believed the mechanism functioned in a similar manner to a Spanish windlass employed to simply lift heavy weights. Using this as a model, Hicks was able to demonstrate that dorsiflexion of the metatarsophalangeal joint increased tension in the plantar fascia and simultaneously increased arch height whilst decreasing arch length, with attendant external leg rotation and rearfoot supination. The phenomenon was thus labelled Windlass Mechanism since it was similar to the loading of a cable (the plantar fascia) around the drum of a windlass (the 1st metatarsophalangeal joint) by pulling a handle (the proximal phalanx of the hallux) The plantar fascia is cylindrically loaded in this manner during gait because the metatarsophalangeal joints are dorsiflexed passively as the foot achieves propulsion. The importance of this mechanism is not just in providing a supination moment at the level of the subtalar joint during propulsion. Of equal importance is the fact that the Windlass Mechanism affects all the joints of the foot as the arch is raised. To learn more, View Windlass Mechanics |
