ArticleScientific reports2021
Daily activity in minimal footwear increases foot strength.
Article in Scientific reports, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers.
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.
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Who cites it
8 citing papers in PubMed.
- Effects of Long-Term Minimal Footwear Use on Fall-Risk and Fall Incidence in Older Adults.Gerontology · 2026Trial
- Local and non-local effects (on the posterior chain) of four weeks of foot exercises: a randomized controlled trial.Scientific reports · 2024Trial
- The influence of foot muscles exercises and minimalist shoes on lactate threshold velocity in long-distance amateur runners: a randomized controlled trial.Scientific reports · 2024Trial
- A four-week minimalist shoe walking intervention influences foot posture and balance in young adults-a randomized controlled trial.PloS one · 2024Trial
- 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
- Enhanced Foot Proprioception Through 3-Minute Walking Bouts with Ultra-Minimalist Shoes on Surfaces That Mimic Highly Rugged Natural Terrains.Biomimetics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- The role of torso stiffness and prediction in the biomechanics of anxiety: a narrative review.Frontiers in sports and active living · 2024Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
Abstract
The human foot is uniquely adapted to bipedal locomotion and has a deformable arch of variable stiffness. Intrinsic foot muscles regulate arch deformation, making them important for foot function. In this study we explore the hypothesis that normal daily activity in minimal footwear, which provides little or no support, increases foot muscle strength. Western adults wore minimal footwear for a six-month period (the "intervention" group). Foot strength, i.e., maximum isometric plantarflexion strength at the metatarsophalangeal joints, and foot biometrics were measured before and after the intervention. An additional group was investigated to add further insight on the long-term effects of footwear, consisting of Western adults with an average 2.5 years of experience in minimal footwear (the "experienced" group). This study shows that foot strength increases by, on average, 57.4% (p < 0.001) after six months of daily activity in minimal footwear. The experienced group had similar foot strength as the post intervention group, suggesting that six months of regular minimal footwear use is sufficient to gain full strength, which may aid healthy balance and gait.
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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.