BACKGROUND Foot deformity, flat feet, and the use of ill-fitting footwear are common in children and adolescents with Down syndrome (DS). The aim of this study was to determine whether these observations are associated with foot-specific disability in this group. METHODS A cross-sectional study design. Foot structure (foot posture determined using the Arch Index, presence of hallux valgus and...

BACKGROUND Foot pain is a common problem affecting up to 1 in 5 adults and is known to adversely affect activities of daily living and health related quality of life. Orthopaedic footwear interventions are used as a conservative treatment for foot pain, although adherence is known to be low, in part due to the perception of poor comfort and unattractiveness of the footwear. The objective of thi...

BACKGROUND Specialist 'therapeutic' footwear is recommended for patients with diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA) as a beneficial intervention for reducing foot pain, improving foot health, and increasing general mobility. However, many patients choose not to wear this footwear. Recommendations from previous studies have been implemented but have had little impact in improving this situa...

Trauma, in the form of pressure and/or friction from footwear, is a common cause of foot ulceration in people with diabetes. These practical recommendations regarding the provision of footwear for people with diabetes were agreed upon following review of existing position statements and clinical guidelines. The aim of this process was not to re-invent existing guidelines but to provide practica...

Impact testing is undertaken to quantify the shock absorption characteristics of footwear. The current widely reported mechanical testing method mimics the heel impact in running and therefore applies excessive energy to walking footwear. The purpose of this study was to modify the ASTM protocol F1614 (Procedure A) to better represent walking gait. This was achieved by collecting kinematic and ...

Identification of the footwear traces from crime scenes is an important yet largely forgotten aspect of forensic intelligence and evidence. We present initial results from a developing automatic footwear classification system. The underlying methodology is based on large numbers of localized features located using MSER feature detectors. These features are transformed into robust SIFT or GLOH d...

Leprosy is predominantly a disease of peripheral nerves and it particularly affects the nerves supplying the eyes, hands and feet, leading to irreversible impairments, if not treated early. Impairments in the foot include sensory loss, motor weakness of the anterior and/or lateral compartment of the leg and intrinsic muscles of the foot and dryness in the sole of the foot due to the involvement...

OBJECTIVE Therapeutic footwear for diabetic foot patients aims to reduce the risk of ulceration by relieving mechanical pressure on the foot. However, footwear efficacy is generally not assessed in clinical practice. The purpose of this study was to assess the value of in-shoe plantar pressure analysis to evaluate and optimize the pressure-reducing effects of diabetic therapeutic footwear. RE...

BACKGROUND An investigation was undertaken to compare the effect of multi-component compression bandages and compression hosiery kits on individuals' range of ankle motion whilst wearing typical and medical footwear, and barefoot. METHODS A convenience sample of 30 healthy individuals recruited from the staff and student population at the University of Huddersfield, UK. Plantarflexion/dorsifl...

The present study sought to examine the effect of 5 weeks of training with minimalist footwear on oxygen consumption during walking and running. Thirteen college-aged students (male n = 7, female n = 6, age: 21.7±1.4 years, height: 168.9±8.8 cm, weight: 70.4±15.8 kg, VO2max: 46.6±6.6 ml·kg(-1)·min(-1)) participated in the present investigation. The participants did not have experience with mini...