The influence of two unstable shoe modifications on lower extremity kinetics during walking and postural balance in elderly men

Introduction: Various instability shoe concepts have been promoted by claiming several positive effects. As a result, the elderly have become especially interested in wearing these shoes to train their postural balance. So far, many of the promoted claims have not been proven. This study aimed to identify the effects of different unstable shoe constructions on the walking and balance performance in elderly men. Methods: A conventional running shoe (CRS) was modified by an orthopaedic shoe technician in two different ways (MLI, API). The MLI was unstable in the medio-lateral and the API in the anterior–posterior direction during walking. Seventeen healthy elderly men answered a questionnaire judging fit, comfort and walking behaviour of the three different shoe types. They also walked across a force platform in each shoe type at a given speed of 1.6 m s−1. During this task, ground reaction forces, plantar pressures, pronation and shock absorption were measured. They then had to perform three balance tasks ...