In this study, we determined joint moments and muscle forces in the lower extremity during
walking with different heel-height shoes using the 3D motion analysis and the corresponding
musculoskeletal modeling. Totally fifteen healthy women participated in the 3D motion analysis for
various walking with barefoot, flat shoe, 3cm, 6cm and 9cm high heels. Inverse dynamic simulations
were also performed using a musculoskeletal model in order to calculate joint moments and muscle
forces in the lower extremity. As for the hip, joint angles, joint moments and corresponding muscle
forces did not show significant differences. Rectus femoris, a biarticular muscle for hip flexor and knee
extensor, revealed stronger effect on the knee than the hip. Soleus, playing the most important role for
ankle plantarflexor, showed decreases in the maximum muscle force at pre-swing, as heel height
increased. Tibialis anterior produced larger dorsiflexion moments for foot clearance with higher-heeled
shoes.