Particularities of Women Sport Shoes

Traditionally female sport shoes were just one more version of the male shoe but in smaller sizes. Since 2000, manufacturers began to slowly differentiate the female footwear due to anatomical reasons, morphological and biomechanical. First, let us talk about small changes and adjustments more specific to the anatomical and structural differences of the women.
Women need different sports shoes for the following reasons:
• The anatomy of female feet
• The percentage of body mass
• Biomechanics
• The cycle of ovulation
The anatomy of female feet
The female feet have a narrower ankle towards the forefoot than males, if we compare two feet, one male and one female, with the same length, females present a narrower ankle. Therefore, when you put on a pair of man shoes to a woman, sometimes it happens to slip (as known as shuffling) on the heel. This anatomical difference is often the reason behind the ladies buying shoes a few sizes down. They make it not to feel that annoying shuffling. The solution is not to use smaller shoes, buy shoes with the width adjusted and if the shuffling persists, modify the technique of footwear lacing. To properly accommodate the female foot manufacturers began using forms adapted to the specific needs of women, in addition it is common more cushioning for ankle / heel shoes.
The percentage of body mass
Statistically a woman with the same shoe size of a man has approximately 15% less body mass. This implies that the firmness of the mid-sole should be adjusted to the lower weight, allowing the sole to better distribute the shock compression. Less weight means softer mid-sole, as feminine shoes should also have deeper flex channels to facilitate flexibility.

Bio-mechanics

For reasons having to do with pregnancy, women are proportionately wider in the pelvis than men. The angle formed by the line extending from the hip to the center of the knee (patella) and the line that goes from the center of the knee to the tibia, is called the quadriceps angle or Q angle. In literature, the average referenced value of this angle is 11 degrees for males and 14 degrees for females.

The relationship between the pelvis and knee in women, causes differences in sport bio-mechanics, as women tend to attack the ground with the foot more rotated to the outside, resulting in a more intense internal rotation. This increased unstable pronation could increase the risk of injuries. Some manufacturers have this bio-mechanic differences into account. The main implications for the design of the footwear include dual-density unit, a more rounded heel and absorbing viscous-elastic material placed in order to delay the initial rotation of female feet after the initial contact with the soil.

The cycle of ovulation

In addition to structural and anatomical differences between the two sexes, there are also hormonal differences. Intuitively, many women athletes have some sports injuries associated with their periods of fertility.

In late 2000, researchers showed that during the peak presence of estrogen in the body (which functions as a muscle relaxant), the plantar fascia is affected, becoming more elastic, thus influencing the bio-mechanical behavior called "Windlass mechanism". The arch of the foot flattens and the rate of medium-lateral knee acceleration increases, a factor that some researchers suspect to be associated with the appearance of certain lesions.

Given these cyclical bio-mechanical changes, some manufacturers of athletic footwear launched models with deformable materials used on the medial side, which allow accommodating the anatomical differences of the plantar arch caused by these cycles. Additionally, some female role models have a ratio between the heel and forefoot higher (greater wedge), reducing the likelihood of developing certain lesions that are suspected to be associated with the rotation of the knees.