The modern human foot is a complex structure thought to play an important role in our ability
to walk and run efficiently. Comparisons of our feet to those of our evolutionary ancestors
and closest living relatives have linked the shape of several foot components (eg, the
longitudinal and transverse arches, size of the heel and length of the toes) to specific
mechanical functions. But since foot shape varies widely across the modern human
population, this study aimed to investigate how closely foot shape, deformation and joint …

The human foot is a complex structure that plays an important role in our capacity for upright
locomotion. Comparisons of our feet with those of our closest extinct and extant relatives
have linked shape features (eg the longitudinal and transverse arches, heel size and toe
length) to specific mechanical functions. However, foot shape varies widely across the
human population, so it remains unclear if and how specific shape variants are related to
locomotor mechanics. Here we constructed a statistical shape–function model (SFM) from …