Footwear Choice and Locomotor Health Throughout the Life Course: A Critical Review

TL;DR

This paper reviews how footwear affects gait and health over a lifetime, suggesting minimal shoes are healthier than typical designs.

Contribution

The paper critically evaluates the health impacts of various footwear types, advocating for minimal shoes for general use.

Findings

Most typical shoe features like cushioning and arch support offer little health benefit for normal walking.

High heels and similar footwear are linked to detrimental health effects.

Minimal shoes are recommended to promote healthy biomechanical aging.

Abstract

Background/objectives: In this paper, we review and discuss epidemiological and experimental evidence on the effects of daily footwear on gait and life-long health. We consider different types of footwear, including “minimal shoes”, and their design features, comparing them to barefoot walking, with a focus on overall gait and the function of the heel pad. Methods: Narrative review. Results: We find little evidence for health benefits of most typical shoe design features (e.g., cushioning, raised heels or arch support) for normal walking in healthy individuals, and in several cases (e.g., high heels), there is evidence of detrimental health effects. Conclusions: Based on currently available evidence, we recommend minimal footwear as the default for the general population to stimulate healthy biomechanical aging, with other types of footwear used infrequently or when there is an individual or clinical need.

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