ArticleScientific reports2020
Minimal shoes improve stability and mobility in persons with a history of falls.
Article in Scientific reports, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 16 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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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
16 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 35 citations in OpenAlex.
- Footwear Characteristics and Their Impact on Gait and Balance in Older Adults: A Systematic Review of Recent Evidence.Journal of the American Geriatrics Society · 2026Pooled it
- Effects of Long-Term Minimal Footwear Use on Fall-Risk and Fall Incidence in Older Adults.Gerontology · 2026Trial
- A four-week minimalist shoe walking intervention influences foot posture and balance in young adults-a randomized controlled trial.PloS one · 2024Trial
- Biomechanical mechanisms underlying the effect of minimalist footwear on walking stability in persons with a history of falls.Communications medicine · 2025Article
- Minimalist Footwear in the Treatment and Rehabilitation of Lower Limb Impairments Across the Life Course: A Scoping Review.Musculoskeletal care · 2025Article
- Footwear Choice and Locomotor Health Throughout the Life Course: A Critical Review.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Biomechanical Effects of Sandal Strap Design on Gait Kinematics and Electromyographic Activation Patterns: A Speed-Dependent Analysis.Applied bionics and biomechanics · 2025Article
- Enhanced Foot Proprioception Through 3-Minute Walking Bouts with Ultra-Minimalist Shoes on Surfaces That Mimic Highly Rugged Natural Terrains.Biomimetics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Enhancing Footwear Safety for Fall Prevention in Older Adults: A Comprehensive Review of Design Features.Annals of geriatric medicine and research · 2024Review
- The role of torso stiffness and prediction in the biomechanics of anxiety: a narrative review.Frontiers in sports and active living · 2024Review
- Characteristics of falls among older hip fracture patients from six Chinese hospitals: a post-hoc descriptive analysis.BMC geriatrics · 2023Article
- Barefoot walking is more stable in the gait of balance recovery in older adults.BMC geriatrics · 2022Article
- Prevalence of Sarcopenia and Its Association with Quality of Life, Postural Stability, and Past Incidence of Falls in Postmenopausal Women with Osteoporosis: A Cross-Sectional Study.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Article
- Characterization of Anticipatory Postural Adjustments in Lateral Stepping: Impact of Footwear and Lower Limb Preference.Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) · 2021Article
- Biomechanical Characteristics between Bionic Shoes and Normal Shoes during the Drop-Landing Phase: A Pilot Study.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Article
- Effectiveness of Shoes With Non-Slip Insole on Balance, Fear of Falling, and Fall Prevention Among Older Women: A Parallel RCT.Sage open agingArticle
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
Postural and walking instabilities contribute to falls in older adults. Given that shoes affect human locomotor stability and that visual, cognitive and somatosensory systems deteriorate during aging, we aimed to: (1) compare the effects of footwear type on stability and mobility in persons with a history of falls, and (2) determine whether the effect of footwear type on stability is altered by the absence of visual input or by an additional cognitive load. Thirty participants performed standing and walking trials in three footwear conditions, i.e. conventional shoes, minimal shoes, and barefoot. The outcomes were: (1) postural stability (movement of the center of pressure during eyes open/closed), (2) walking stability (Margin of Stability during normal/dual-task walking), (3) mobility (the Timed Up and Go test and the Star Excursion Balance test), and (4) perceptions of the shoes (Monitor Orthopaedic Shoes questionnaire). Participants were more stable during standing and walking in minimal shoes than in conventional shoes, independent of visual or walking condition. Minimal shoes were more beneficial for mobility than conventional shoes and barefoot. This study supports the need for longitudinal studies investigating whether minimal footwear is more beneficial for fall prevention in older people than conventional footwear.
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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.