Biomechanical approach in facilitating long-distance walking of elderly people using footwear modifications

• Published in: Gait & posture 2018-07, Vol.64, p.101-107
• Main Authors: Elhadi, Mustafa Mohamed Osman, Ma, Christina Zong-Hao, Lam, Wing Kai, Lee, Winson Chiu-Chun
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 80 and over; aged; ankle; Biomechanical Phenomena; biomechanics; clinical article; clinical trial; exercise; exercise test; Fatigue; female; Foot Orthoses; foot orthosis; Gait; ground reaction force; heel; human; Humans; Insoles; Long-distance walking; male; Older adults; pain; perception; Physical activity; Physical Exertion; physiology; priority journal; shoe; Shoes; silicone gel; standing; treadmill exercise; very elderly; walking
• ISSN: 0966-6362; 1879-2219; 1879-2219
• DOI: 10.1016/j.gaitpost.2018.05.032

•Heel lifts and silicon insoles facilitated long-distance walking of older adults.•They improved subjective perception of physical exertion, pain and fatigue.•They also improved gait measured by force plates and a motion analysis system.•They might be solutions for healthcare workers to prompt walking of older adults. Long-distance walking is a convenient way for prompting physical activity of elderly people. However, walking ability declines with aging. Research question: This study assessed if silicone insoles with heel lifts (named here the prescribed insoles) could facilitate long-distance walking of older adults. Fifteen adults aged over 65, who did not have obvious lower-limb problems, walked on a treadmill for totally 60 min in two separate walking sessions: 1) with the prescribed insoles, and 2) with original insoles of the standardized shoes. Gait tests using force plates and a motion analysis system, and subjective evaluation using visual analog and Borg’s CR10 scales were conducted at different time points of the treadmill walking. Objective gait anaylsis showed that without using the prescribed insoles, there were significant reductions (p