A third of people over 65, and half of people over 80, fall at least once a year. Falls are the most common cause of death from injury in the over 65s and result in a significant financial burden on the whole society. Shoes directly influence balance, gait, and the subsequent risk of slips, trips and falls by altering somatosensory feedback to the foot and ankle. Minimal shoes, that is shoes lacking a firm heel cup, a rigid sole or longitudinal arch support, have shown advantages in strengthening muscles and improving balance as compared to conventional shoes. However, limited research has studied the effect of minimal shoe in older people at risk of falls. The aim of the project will be to assess the effects of minimal shoes in older people at risk of falls, compared to conventional shoes and barefoot.
Study participants will attend a one-day testing session at the Movement Laboratory, University of Liverpool. Participants will be subjected to several standing and walking tests while wearing three types of footwear in a randomised order: (i) a minimal shoe, (ii) a conventional shoe, and (iii) barefoot. Participants' physical function, stability during standing and walking and an activity of lower leg muscles will be assessed in each of those three footwear conditions. Participants will also be asked about perceptions of footwear, regarding a minimal shoe and a conventional shoe. At the end of assessments, participants will be asked to complete several walking bouts while wearing a minimal shoe with "smart" shoe insoles, to determine "smart" insoles' validity in obtaining gait characteristics against a gold standard measure. Finally, those participants who volunteer to take part in a two-week follow-up study, will be asked to wear the minimal shoes with "smart" insoles during daily life for two weeks, After two weeks, they will be asked to fill in an online questionnaire asking them about total time they used the minimal shoes and insoles and about how satisfied they were with them.
Study Type
OBSERVATIONAL
Enrollment
30
A minimal shoe (Vivobarefoot Ltd., London, UK) will be used.
The Go Walk 4.0-Pursuit shoe for women (Skechers USA, Inc.) and the Superior 2.0-Jeveno shoe for men (Skechers USA, Inc) will be used.
Participants will conduct the assessments barefoot.
Arion pressure-measuring insoles (Eindhoven, The Netherlands) will be used in the study.
University of Liverpool
Liverpool, Merseyside, United Kingdom
Timed Up and Go test
Time (in seconds) to complete the Timed Up and Go test
Time frame: First day of joining the study
Star Excursion Balance Test
Reach (in centimetres) to achieve during the Star Excursion Balance Test
Time frame: First day of joining the study
Postural stability
Anterior-Posterior and latero-medial movement (in centimetres) of the centre of pressure
Time frame: First day of joining the study
Dynamic stability
Variability (standard deviations) of spatio-temporal gait characteristics
Time frame: First day of joining the study
Muscle activity
Electromyography activity for selected lower leg muscles and expressed in millivolts
Time frame: First day of joining the study
Perceived attractiveness
Scored on a 100-millimetres (mm) visual analogue scale with 0 mm being "extremely unattractive" and 100 mm being "extremely attractive"
Time frame: First day of joining the study
Perceived attractiveness for others
Scored on a 100-millimetres (mm) visual analogue scale with 0 mm being "extremely unattractive for others" and 100 mm being "extremely attractive for others"
Time frame: First day of joining the study
Perceived comfort
Scored on a 100-millimetres (mm) visual analogue scale with 0 mm being "extremely uncomfortable" and 100 mm being "extremely comfortable"
Time frame: First day of joining the study
Perceived weight
Scored on a 100-millimetres (mm) visual analogue scale with 0 mm being "extremely light" and 100 mm being "extremely heavy"
Time frame: First day of joining the study
Perceived fit
Scored on a 100-millimetres (mm) visual analogue scale with 0 mm being "poorest fit possible" and 100 mm being "best fit possible"
Time frame: First day of joining the study
Perceived ease of use
Scored on a 100-millimetres (mm) visual analogue scale with 0 mm being "most difficult as possible" and 100 mm being "as easy as imaginable"
Time frame: First day of joining the study
Perceived stability
Scored on a 100-millimetres (mm) visual analogue scale with 0 mm being "extremely unstable" and 100 mm being "extremely stable"
Time frame: First day of joining the study
Validity of "smart" shoe insoles
Validity of Arion insoles against Qualisys Motion Capture System
Time frame: First day of joining the study
Adherence to wearing minimal shoes in daily life
Adherence to wearing minimal shoes with "smart" shoe insoles assessed with an online questionnaire and expressed in total time in days and hours
Time frame: The assessment will be performed at 2 weeks
Satisfaction of wearing minimal shoes in daily life
Satisfaction of wearing minimal shoes with "smart" shoe insoles assessed with an online questionnaire and expressed on a 5-point Likert scale, with the following levels: 1 - Very dissatisfied, 2 - dissatisfied, 3 - unsure, 4 - satisfied, 5 - Very satisfied.
Time frame: The assessment will be performed at 2 weeks
Gait characteristics during daily life
Gait characteristics, assessed with "smart" shoe insoles, during activities of daily life and expressed in spatio-temporal metrics
Time frame: The assessment will be performed at 2 weeks
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