Effect of shoe flexibility on plantar loading in children learning to walk.

Background: In a previous pilot study of "cruisers" (nonindependent ambulation), "early walkers" (independent ambulation for 0-5 months), and "experienced walkers" (independent ambulation for 6-12 months), developmental age significantly affected the children's stability when walking and performing functional activities. We sought to examine how shoe structural characteristics affect plantar pressure distribution in early walkers.

Methods: Torsional flexibility was evaluated in four shoe designs (UltraFlex, MedFlex, LowFlex, and Stiff based on decreasing relative flexibility) with a structural testing machine.