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Background: The footwear assessment tool was designed to advise an appropriate footwear for each situation and patient. Footwear alterations structures can influence in musculoskeletal disorders, developing foot ulcers, increase the peak plantar pressure, bacterial growth, low back pain., Methods: To validate the study 101 subjects were recruited. The study was tested by two expert podiatrists using the tool for the assessment of footwear characteristics that is composed by five domains, fit, general features, general structure, motion control properties and cushioning system. Each domain analyzes different shoe items., Results: An excellent agreement between the test-retest. A suitable Cronbach's α was suggested for the five domains of fit (α = 0.952), general features (α = 0.953), general structure (α = 0.947), motion control properties (α = 0.951), and cushioning system (α = 0.951). Test-retest reliability was excellent for all domains. There were no significant differences between any domain (p > 0.05). There was only statistically significant difference in the item forefoot height (p = 0.011). For all the domains items there were no statistically significant difference (p > 0.05)., Conclusions: The tool for the assessment European footwear is a suitable repeatability and reliability footwear tool that can be used in Spanish language subjects., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing Interest The authors have declared no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Background: Parkinson's disease (PD) is a common and complex neurological problem. Gait abnormalities are frequent in PD patients, and this increases the risk of falls. However, little is known about foot deformities and footwear in this vulnerable population. Here we investigate whether patients with PD use an appropriate shoe size and know if they have foot deformities or alterations. Methodology: A study of a series of observational descriptive cases in a convenience sample (n = 53 patients) diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. One trained investigator evaluated foot and ankle health. The footwear and foot measurements were obtained using a Brannock device. Results: The podiatric examination and footwear examination detected a high presence of podiatric pathologies and inappropriate footwear. This has a negative impact on the quality of life of these patients. Conclusions: This research detected an elevated number of people with foot deformities or alterations. Moreover, a high proportion of participants with PD wear inadequate footwear (in length, width, or both)., Competing Interests: Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interest exists., (© The author(s).)

Background: The main purpose of this research was to determine the stability of three different sanitary shoes on nurses with eyes open and closed with respect to barefoot condition. In addition, the secondary aim was to determine the reliability of stability measurements under these different conditions., Methods: A crossover quasi-experimental study (NCT03764332) was performed. Twenty-six nurses who wore different sanitary shoes (Eva Plus Ultralight ® , Gym Step ® and Milan-SCL Liso ® ) were evaluated with respect to barefoot condition for stability measures on the Podoprint ® podobarometric and stabilometry tool and with eyes open and closed. Furthermore, the reliability of stability measurements was determined by the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) under these different conditions., Results: Between-groups comparisons of the static and stabilometry podobarometric data with eyes open showed statistically significant differences ( p < 0.05). Milan-SCL Liso ® sanitary shoes improved podobarometric data of forefoot force and distribution with respect to barefoot condition. Eva Plus Ultralight ® and Gym Step ® sanitary shoes increased the stroke length mean, stroke surface mean, and anterior speed mean as well as reduced y axis displacement mean with respect to barefoot condition. Similar findings were determined for measurements with eyes closed. ICCs ranged from poor to excellent reliability (ICC = 0.010-0.995)., Conclusions: Sanitary shoes improved podobarometric and stabilometry stability with respect to barefoot condition.

The main objective of this research was to know how five different cushioning shoes may interfere in ground contact times of each gait phase of walking and running in contrast with barefoot condition. Thirty healthy sport recreational male runners participated in this study. They played over a treadmill wearing minimalist, Boost®, Ethyl-vinyl-acetate (EVA), Air® chamber and pronation-control cushioning shoes technologies and under barefoot condition, recording the last 30 s of walking and running at 5.17 km/h and 9 km/h respectively, while ground contact time duration of each phase of gait was recorded with circular standard pressure sensors located on plantar feet. During walking, the heel contact phase was the station that increased significantly ground contact times wearing all sole cushioning shoes (p < 0.001), excepting no sole shoes (minimalist), versus barefoot condition, being Air® chamber the model that showed the highest times of contact floor versus barefoot (0.28 ± 0.08 ms and 0.23 ± 0.12 ms vs 0.12 ± 0.07 ms and 0.18 ± 0.07 ms in heel contact during midstance phases, respectively). During running, propulsion phase was the station that showed the highest spent times on ground contact with the floor under all shoe conditions, even with minimalist, being again Air® chamber the model with higher significant times in two of three phases versus barefoot (0.11 ± 0.04 ms and 0.16 ± 0.11 ms vs 0.09 ± 0.03 ms and 0.10 ± 0.02 ms in midstance and propulsion phases respectively). Air chamber® was the model too with the most switch ratio to forefoot strike pattern (0.07 ± 0.10 ms to 0.16 ± 0.11 from heel contact to propulsion phase, respectively). In conclusion, a ground contact times increase using all cushioning running shoes compared with barefoot condition was shown in both walking and running test., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: The aim of this descriptive study was to determine whether people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) wear adequately fitting footwear., Design: This observational study was carried out in a health center between January and December 2014 in the state of A Coruña, Spain., Method: A total of 166 patients (47 men, 119 women) completed all stages of the research process. A validated Brannock Device was used to record foot and shoe length and width., Findings: Only 64 (38.55%) participants wore shoes that met the needs and requirements of their feet, and 98 (59.03%) participants wore the incorrect shoe size, at least in one foot., Conclusions: Many patients with RA often wear shoes that are too narrow for their foot. Assessing the proper footwear fit is an important part of the clinical foot examination., Clinical Relevance: Early detection of inappropriate shoe size in patients with RA allows rehabilitation nurses to optimize foot health.

Background: Peroneus longus and brevis (PLB) disorders are commonly in people with lateral ligamentous instability, ankle pain, lateral hindfoot pain and structures of the proximal compartment of the lower legs and their muscle activity is believed to be influenced by different footwear types. The proposal of this research is to evaluate the effects of five types of footwear with respect to the barefoot condition and analyze the activity patterns of PLB muscles in healthy subjects during the gait cycle., Methods: Thirty healthy subjects were recruited in a laboratory in this cross-sectional research design. While walking, electromyography (EMG) activity was measured from PLB via surface electrodes in six experimental conditions: 1) barefoot, 2) minimalist, 3) pronated control, 4) air chamber, 5) ethyl-vinyl-acetate (EVA) and 6) boost. These data were obtained and compared., Results: The peroneus brevis showed significant reductions in the peak amplitude of the five footwear types (minimalist, pronation control, air chamber, EVA and boost) with respect to the barefoot condition in the propulsion phase of the gait cycle during walking (P = 0.034; P < 0.001; P < 0.001; P < 0.001; P = 0.006) and running (P = 0.004; P < 0.001; P = 0.001; P < 0.001; P = 0.001), respectively. Furthermore, peroneus longus showed significant reductions in the peak amplitude of these five footwear types with respect to the barefoot condition in the propulsion phase of the gait cycle during running (P = 0.005; P = 0.038; P = 0.019; P = 0.025; P = 0.021)., Conclusion: The EMG activity patterns of the PLB muscles may depend on the use of different types of sport shoes such as minimalist, pronation control, air chamber, EVA and boost footwear with respect the barefoot condition in different phases of the gait cycle during walking and running., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background : Down syndrome is the most common chromosomal abnormality and a cause of intellectual disability. It is also associated with orthopaedic and musculoskeletal problems of the locomotive apparatus, especially of the feet. These problems are believed to have a harmful effect on health, social functioning, and mobility. In addition, these persons generally don't have access to podiatric health services, even when their foot problems are well known, because of limited access to healthcare facilities. The goal of our research was to evaluate and compare the foot health status of study participants with and without Down syndrome and to determine whether inadequate footwear is being used with normalized reference values. Methods : A total of 105 participants with and without Down syndrome, with a mean age of 35.71 (SD = 12.93) years, were enrolled in the study. They self-reported demographic data and their clinical characteristic data were recorded. Measurements of their foot and shoe fitting were taken at all stages of the research process. Ninety-two percent of the participants with Down syndrome had foot problems. Results: Only 12 (24%) participants with Down syndrome used bilateral shoes that met the requirements of their feet compared to their controls (50 participants, 90.9% for the right foot; 46 participants, 83.6% for the left foot). Participants with Down syndrome presented statistically significant differences with respect to controls and wore incorrectly sized shoe. Conclusions : Evaluation of foot length and width may prevent development of foot deformities, as well as to improve general health., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Many women have worn high-heel shoes (HHS) at some point in their lives and many wear them on a daily basis, with higher prevalence between 39% and 78% observed in institutional and clinical settings. The purpose of this study was to describe and compare the scores obtained with regard to foot health and health in general in a sample of women that use HHS as opposed to a sample of women without HHS with normalized reference values. A sample of 120 participants with a mean age of 41.94 ± 13.912 came to a health center where self-reported data were registered. The subjects with and without HHS were determined and the scores obtained were compared in the Foot Health Status Questionnaire (FHSQ). This questionnaire is made of 13 questions that assess 4 health domains of the feet, namely pain, function, general health and footwear. The women in the HHS group showed a worse quality of life related to health in general and to foot health specifically. Differences between the two groups were evaluated by means of a t-test for independent samples, showing statistical significance (P<0.01). Women with HHS present a negative impact on the quality of life related to foot health.

Inadequate footwear, painful and hyperkeratotic lesions (HL) are an extremely common problems amongst older people. Such problems increase the risk of falls, hamper mobility, reduction of quality of life, dignity, and ability to remain independent. The etiology of painful and feet conditions is poorly understood.To discover footwear preferences of older people, pain tolerance may favor presence of HL for the use of inadequate footwear in old age.A sample of 100 participants with a mean age of 74.90 ± 7.01 years attended an outpatient clinic where self-reported demographic data, frequency with which they checked their feet were recorded and measurements were taken of foot sensitivity. Additionally, all participants' shoes were allocated into optimal, adequate, and dangerous categories based on design, structural and safety features, and materials.Only 12% of the sample population checked their feet every day, 37% revealed symptoms of neuropathy, 14% used optimal shoes, and 61% presented HL. In a bivariate analysis, no significant differences were observed.HL are associated with inadequate footwear, loss of sensitivity, and low frequency of foot health checks.

To discover whether changes in foot morphology and pain tolerance may favor the use of inadequate footwear in old age. 100 participants, mean age 81.60 ± 8.26 years attended an outpatient clinic where self-reported demographic data, frequency checked their feet, measurements of foot sensitivity, foot size and shoe size. Only 19% checked their feet every day, 73% revealed symptoms of neuropathy and 83% used inadequate footwear on at least one foot. In a bivariate analysis, no significant differences were observed. Distinct physical changes affect the feet in the elderly population. Decreased sensitivity and absence of regular foot checks can contribute to use of inadequate footwear. Often, it is necessary to use a different shoe size to ensure that the footwear matches the actual dimensions and true needs of each foot in order to improve functionality and prevent the onset of severe medical conditions and/or foot deformities., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

A significant predictor of falls in the elderly population is attributed to postural instability. Thus, it is important to identify and implement practical clinical interventions to enhance postural stability in older adults. Shoe insoles have been identified as a mechanism to enhance postural control, and our study aimed to evaluate the impact of 2 shoe insoles on static standing balance in healthy, older adults compared with standing posture while barefoot. We hypothesized that both hard and soft shoe insoles would decrease postural sway compared with the barefoot condition. Indeed, excursion distances and sway areas were reduced, and sway velocity was decreased when wearing insoles. The hard insole was also effective when visual feedback was removed, suggesting that the more rigid an insole, the greater potential reduction in fall risk. Thus, shoe insoles may be a cost-effective, clinical intervention that is easy to implement to reduce the risk of falling in the elderly population., (Copyright © 2012 Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.)