SynthesisJournal of foot and ankle research2019
The impact of shoe flexibility on gait, pressure and muscle activity of young children. A systematic review.
Synthesis in Journal of foot and ankle research, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 14 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
14 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 23 citations in OpenAlex.
- Physical, Psychological, and Social Outcomes in Pediatric Burn Survivors Ages 5 to 18 Years: A Systematic Review.Journal of burn care & research : official publication of the American Burn Association · 2022Pooled it
- Factors of modern lifestyle influencing gait pattern alterations in elementary school children: a mini review.Frontiers in pediatrics · 2026Review
- Development of the CHILD-SHOE Reporting Checklist: A Scoping Review and Modified Delphi Study to Support Reporting in Children's Footwear Research.Journal of foot and ankle research · 2025Article
- Effects of Biomimetic Shoes on Healthy Young Children's Gait.Revista brasileira de ortopedia · 2024Article
- Understanding the Role of Children's Footwear on Children's Feet and Gait Development: A Systematic Scoping Review.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Australian secondary school principals', parents', and students' attitudes to prescribed school footwear guidelines.Journal of foot and ankle research · 2023Article
- Biomechanical analysis of barefoot walking and three different sports footwear in children aged between 4 and 6 years old.PloS one · 2023Article
- The Development of a Built-In Shoe Plantar Pressure Measurement System for Children.Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Article
- Parents, health professionals and footwear stakeholders' beliefs on the importance of different features of young children's footwear: a qualitative study.Journal of foot and ankle research · 2022Article
- How barefoot and conventional shoes affect the foot and gait characteristics in toddlers.PloS one · 2022Article
- Young children's footwear taxonomy: An international Delphi survey of parents, health and footwear industry professionals.PloS one · 2022Article
- Article
- Soft soled footwear has limited impact on toddler gait.PloS one · 2021Article
- Correction to: The impact of shoe flexibility on gait, pressure and muscle activity of young children. A systematic review.Journal of foot and ankle researchArticle
Corrections and comments
- Erratum issued
Authors and funding
4 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThere is limited evidence of shoe impact in younger children, particularly in the context of immature gait patterns. It is unclear if the impact from shoes in younger children is similar to what has been seen in older children. This systematic review aims to identify any impact of shoe features on younger children's gait, and if there are any differences between shoe sole flexibility compared to barefoot.
methodsStudy inclusion criteria included: typically developing children aged ≤6 years; comparison of barefoot and shod conditions (walking and/or running) with shoe features or style of shoe described; sample size > 1. Novelty types of footwear were excluded, as was any mention of in shoe support or modifications. Studies were located from six databases. Study methodology was assessed using the McMasters critical review form. Sample size weighted standardized mean differences (SMD) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated.
resultsFour studies were included. Participant age ranged from 15.2 to 78.7 months, with 262 participants across all studies. All studies had limited methodological bias based on their design type. Compared to barefoot walking, shoes increased velocity, step time and step length. Shod walking decreased cadence. Peak plantar pressure was generally lower in the stiff shoe design and there was a higher peak plantar pressure in the Ultraflex shoes. No studies were found investigating muscle activation.
conclusionsShoes affect younger children's gait in spatiotemporal gait aspects, similar to those seen in older children. There is limited evidence on effects of particular shoe features such as sole hardness, on gait, and no evidence of any changes in muscle activation patterns. Further research is required to evaluate the impact of different types of shoe and shoe features in this population to provide clinical advice on the type of shoe that is appropriate in this age group.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.