Effect of Differences in Wooden Floors on Human Physiology and Psychology during Walking II.

<p>The purpose of this study was to clarify the effect of differences in wooden floor materials on walking with socks on. We conducted a walking experiment in four different model floors combining two types of floor finishing materials and two types of subflooring materials and a control floor (vinyl floor over the concrete subfloor) using surface electromyography of the lower limb and plantar pressure distribution as physiological indicators. It was found that the surface consolidated Japanese cedar, sugi (Cryptomeria japonica) wood finishing, which is uneven and non-slip, has smaller ratio of integrated electromyography (ratio of the integrated surface electromyogram for each model floor to the integrated surface electromyogram for the control) than the ceramic-coated Japanese cypress, hinoki (Chamaecyparis obtusa) wood finishing, which is smooth and slippery, and reduces the burden on the lower limbs during walking. The difference between the finished materials under the low-stiffness joist and 15-mm-thick plywood subflooring condition was smaller than under the high-stiffness 24-mm-thick plywood subflooring condition, indicating that the stiffness of the subflooring material has a secondary effect on the ratio of integrated electromyography. In the plantar pressure distribution, the ratio of entire plantar load to control was significantly higher for the surface consolidated Japanese cedar wood finishing under the joists and 15-mm-thick plywood subflooring condition, indicating that the low rigidity subflooring material makes the uneven surface consolidated Japanese cedar floor finish material more difficult to walk on.</p>