The West Point Foot Structure and Function team assisted in the Cadet Boot Fit experience, while collecting valuable experimental data from more than 1200 new United States Military Academy Cadets. This event, conducted as part of the USMA Reception Day for the incoming class of new cadets, comprised a collaborative team of expert engineers, physicians, clinicians, bio-mechanists and military personnel from West Point staff, Hospital for Special Surgery, Tulane University, New York College of Podiatric Medicine, and Harvard University. Foot structure, running shoe stiffness, ground reaction forces during walking, and running style were all simultaneously collected by over 100 research staff members over the course of the day. This information will be used to determine prevalence of each foot type, examine changes to foot structure, and identify injury mechanisms with the ultimate goal of reducing injury risk in future Cadets and improving Army readiness.
Cadets Partnered with Staff and Faculty to Develop a New Shoe Testing Device for the Annual West Point Boot Fit Research Study. CDT Michaela Sulley oversaw the full-scale use of her summer independent research. Under the advisement of Dr. Becky Zifchock, she partnered with LTC Don Goss and CPT Gary Helton from the Physical Therapy Department to develop a shoe torsional testing device for their research project. The design and manufacture team was completed by Mr. Rod Wilson, Mr. Frank Blackmon, and Mr. Jeff Butler. CDT Sulley was able to oversee the large-scale data collection as part of the West Point Boot Fit Study, for which six devices were designed and manufactured. They were able to collect data on the footwear, foot structure, and running style of over 1100 new cadets in the Class of 2020.