Daily activity in minimal footwear increases foot strength



Curtis, Rory, Willems, Catherine, Paoletti, Paolo ORCID: 0000-0001-6131-0377 and D'Aout, Kristiaan ORCID: 0000-0002-6043-7744
(2021) Daily activity in minimal footwear increases foot strength. SCIENTIFIC REPORTS, 11 (1). 18648-.

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Abstract

The human foot is uniquely adapted to bipedal locomotion and has a deformable arch of variable stiffness. Intrinsic foot muscles regulate arch deformation, making them important for foot function. In this study we explore the hypothesis that normal daily activity in minimal footwear, which provides little or no support, increases foot muscle strength. Western adults wore minimal footwear for a six-month period (the "intervention" group). Foot strength, i.e., maximum isometric plantarflexion strength at the metatarsophalangeal joints, and foot biometrics were measured before and after the intervention. An additional group was investigated to add further insight on the long-term effects of footwear, consisting of Western adults with an average 2.5 years of experience in minimal footwear (the "experienced" group). This study shows that foot strength increases by, on average, 57.4% (p < 0.001) after six months of daily activity in minimal footwear. The experienced group had similar foot strength as the post intervention group, suggesting that six months of regular minimal footwear use is sufficient to gain full strength, which may aid healthy balance and gait.

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: Foot, Muscle, Skeletal, Humans, Gait, Locomotion, Running, Shoes, Adult, Female, Male, Muscle Strength, Biomechanical Phenomena
Divisions: Faculty of Health and Life Sciences
Faculty of Health and Life Sciences > Institute of Life Courses and Medical Sciences
Faculty of Science and Engineering > School of Engineering
Depositing User: Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited: 20 Sep 2021 10:20
Last Modified: 18 Jan 2023 21:28
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-98070-0
Open Access URL: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-98070-0
Related URLs:
URI: https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3137687