Simone Cranage1, Luke Perraton2, Kelly-Ann Bowles3, Cylie Williams4. 1. Department of Physiotherapy, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia; Peninsula Health, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Electronic address: simone.cranage@monash.edu. 2. Department of Physiotherapy, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia. 3. Department of Paramedicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia. 4. Department of Physiotherapy, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia; Peninsula Health, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Clinicians and footwear manufacturers often advise young children to wear soft-soled footwear when they are first learning to walk. There is limited evidence as to why this advice is given, and if soft-soled shoes are as close to barefoot as thought. RESEARCH QUESTION: What are the differences in spatiotemporal measures of gait during walking and running in three common types of children's footwear with a soft-soled compared to barefoot in young children? METHODS: The study used a quasi-experimental design, with the condition order randomised using a Latin square sequence. Forty-seven children were recruited (2 - 4 years). Participants walked or ran the length of a GAITrite mat in a randomized order for barefoot and soft-soled sneaker, boot and sandal conditions. Linear regression analyses were used to investigate the main effect of each soft-soled footwear compared to bare feet in the different gait parameters. RESULTS: For walking and running trials, cadence decreased whereas step time and stride length increased in all footwear types compared to the barefoot condition. While wearing sneakers and sandals increased the stance percentage for walking and running trials, compared to barefoot, this difference was only apparent during the running trial for the boots. Likewise, although double support time increased for both the boots and sneakers in walking and running, compared to barefoot, this difference was only observed in the sandals during walking. SIGNIFICANCE: This research found that various types of soft-soled footwear impacted gait compared to the barefoot condition, with some differences seen between walking and running trials. These findings challenge the assumption that soft-soled footwear facilitate a similar gait to barefoot walking and running, although the clinical significance of these differences is unknown.
BACKGROUND: Clinicians and footwear manufacturers often advise young children to wear soft-soled footwear when they are first learning to walk. There is limited evidence as to why this advice is given, and if soft-soled shoes are as close to barefoot as thought. RESEARCH QUESTION: What are the differences in spatiotemporal measures of gait during walking and running in three common types of children's footwear with a soft-soled compared to barefoot in young children? METHODS: The study used a quasi-experimental design, with the condition order randomised using a Latin square sequence. Forty-seven children were recruited (2 - 4 years). Participants walked or ran the length of a GAITrite mat in a randomized order for barefoot and soft-soled sneaker, boot and sandal conditions. Linear regression analyses were used to investigate the main effect of each soft-soled footwear compared to bare feet in the different gait parameters. RESULTS: For walking and running trials, cadence decreased whereas step time and stride length increased in all footwear types compared to the barefoot condition. While wearing sneakers and sandals increased the stance percentage for walking and running trials, compared to barefoot, this difference was only apparent during the running trial for the boots. Likewise, although double support time increased for both the boots and sneakers in walking and running, compared to barefoot, this difference was only observed in the sandals during walking. SIGNIFICANCE: This research found that various types of soft-soled footwear impacted gait compared to the barefoot condition, with some differences seen between walking and running trials. These findings challenge the assumption that soft-soled footwear facilitate a similar gait to barefoot walking and running, although the clinical significance of these differences is unknown.
Authors: Cylie M Williams; Stewart C Morrison; Kade Paterson; Katherine Gobbi; Sam Burton; Matthew Hill; Emma Harber; Helen Banwell Journal: PLoS One Date: 2022-06-09 Impact factor: 3.752
Authors: Martin A Horn; Alessandro Gulberti; Ute Hidding; Christian Gerloff; Wolfgang Hamel; Christian K E Moll; Monika Pötter-Nerger Journal: Front Hum Neurosci Date: 2022-01-12 Impact factor: 3.169
Authors: Cylie M Williams; Helen A Banwell; Kade L Paterson; Katherine Gobbi; Sam Burton; Matthew Hill; Emma Harber; Stewart C Morrison Journal: J Foot Ankle Res Date: 2022-10-12 Impact factor: 3.050