Introduction: Unstable shoes were developed as a walking device to strengthen the lower extremity muscles and reduce joint loading. Many studies have reported increased muscle activity throughout the gait cycle in most of the lower limb muscles in healthy adults using these shoes. However, no previous studies have explored the effects of wearing unstable shoes on trunk muscle activity in patients with chronic low back pain (CLBP). Therefore, the aim of the present study was to compare the activity of selected trunk muscles in patients with CLBP during a gait test while walking wearing unstable shoes or conventional flat shoes (control).
Methods: Thirty-five CLBP patients (51.1 ± 12.4 y; 26 ± 3.8 kg/m2; 9.3 ± 5.2 Roland Morris Disability Questionnaire score) were recruited from the Orthopedic Surgery Service at the Hospital to participate in this cross-sectional study. All the participants underwent gait analysis by simultaneously collecting surface electromyography (EMG) data from erector spinae (ES), rectus abdominis (RA), obliquus internus (OI), and obliquus externus (OE) muscles, while walking on a treadmill with flat control shoes or experimental unstable shoes.
Results: The results showed significantly higher %EMG activity in the ES (mean difference: 1.8%; 95% CI: 1.3-2.2), RA (mean difference: 1.5%; 95% CI: 0.3-2.7), and OI (mean difference: 1.5%; 95% CI: 0.2-2.8) in the unstable versus the flat-shoe condition, with a large effect size for the ES (Cohen's d = 1.27).
Conclusions: Based on these findings, the use of unstable shoes may be implicated in promoting spine stability, particularly in improving neuromuscular control of the trunk muscles in CLBP treatment.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.gaitpost.2018.06.025 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Barefoot pressure distribution of diabetic patients and non-diabetic volunteer subjects after sensorimotor training with an unstable shoe construction.
Foot (Edinb)
September 2024
Dean's Office, Faculty of Engineering, University of Balamand, Koura, Lebanon. Electronic address:
Background: Forty-three percent of all diabetic foot ulcers occur under the medial forefoot due to a medial deviation of elevated pressures and premature forefoot ground contact in neuropathic diabetic patients. A 6-week sensorimotor training period with an unstable shoe construction reduces in-shoe peak pressures and contact times under the medial aspect of the forefoot.
Methods: The study was designed as a Randomised Control Trial with two diabetic groups (one served as intervention group and one as control group) and one non-diabetic intervention group.
Footwear, Orthoses, and Insoles and Their Effects on Balance in Older Adults: A Scoping Review.
Gerontology
August 2024
Discipline of Podiatry, School of Allied Health, Human Services and Sport, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Background: Footwear, orthoses, and insoles have been shown to influence balance in older adults; however, it remains unclear which features, singular or in combination, are considered optimal. The aim of this scoping review was to identify and synthesise the current evidence regarding how footwear, orthoses, and insoles influence balance in older adults. Four electronic databases (MEDLINE, CINAHL, Embase, and AMED) were searched from inception to October 2023.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCan the Entire Function of the Foot Be Concentrated in the Forefoot Area during the Running Stance Phase? A Finite Element Study of Different Shoe Soles.
J Hum Kinet
April 2024
Faculty of Sports Science, Ningbo University, Ningbo, China.
Article Synopsis
- The study aimed to compare the effects of bionic shoes and normal shoes on forefoot strike patterns during running using the finite element method.
- The findings indicated that running in bionic shoes resulted in lower metatarsal stress and a reduced risk of metatarsal stress fractures compared to normal shoes.
- The research also suggested that bionic shoes may be particularly beneficial for preventing hallux valgus, especially in adolescents, and introduced a new method for analyzing finite element results.
Shoe sole impedes leg muscle activation and impairs dynamic balance responding to a standing-slip.
J Biomech
May 2024
Department of Kinesiology and Health, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA. Electronic address:
The shoe sole is identified as a fall risk factor since it may impede the afferent information about the outside world collected by the plantar sensory units. However, no study has directly quantified how the shoe sole compromises body balance and increases fall risk. This study aimed to inspect how the sole affects human balance after an unexpected standing-slip.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEvaluating combustion kinetics and quantifying fuel-N conversion tendency of shoe manufacturing waste.
Environ Res
June 2024
Key Laboratory of Energy Thermal Conversion and Control of Ministry of Education, School of Energy and Environment, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, China. Electronic address:
Combustion is an effective and cost-efficient thermochemical conversion method for solid waste, showing promise for the resource utilization of shoe manufacturing waste (SMW). However, SMW is generally composed of different components, which can lead to unstable combustion and excessive pollutant emissions, especially NO. To date, combustion characteristics, reaction mechanism and fuel nitrogen (fuel-N) conversion of different SMW components remain unclear.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWant AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!