The effect of shoe type on static and dynamic balance during treadmill walking in young healthy women.
Mi-Kyoung Kim, Byung-Sun Kong, Kyung-Tae Yoo
PMID 28932007WHAT IT FOUND
In young healthy women, sneaker, rain boots and combat boots did not differ significantly for balance after treadmill walking.
Some balance measures changed after walking, but not differently by shoe type.
Key findings
01Shoe type did not produce significant differences in static balance or limits of stability group comparisons.
02After treadmill walking, some eyes-open centre-of-gravity measures changed significantly.
03Limits of stability changed after walking in left, right, forward and total directions, but shoe group comparisons were not significant.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
Only 15 healthy women in their 20s were tested, so the results do not apply to older adults, people with balance problems, or people with medical conditions. The shoes were matched for total height, heel height and weight, so the study does not compare the many shoe differences people wear in daily life. Balance was measured barefoot before and immediately after walking, so it may not show how the shoes affect balance while being worn. The supplied text does not report dropouts, blinding, or a named primary outcome. The significant changes were mainly from before to after treadmill walking, so fatigue may explain them more than shoe type.
Declared interests
No funding source or conflicts of interest statement is provided in the supplied text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the post-walking changes as evidence that one shoe improves balance. The shoe-type comparisons were not significant, and the changes occurred after treadmill walking in several groups.