ArticleJMIR rehabilitation and assistive technologies2026
Participant-Reported Reductions in Falls and Fall-Related Injuries Associated With Variable-Friction Footwear: Retrospective Pre-Post Survey Study.
Article in JMIR rehabilitation and assistive technologies, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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Authors and funding
7 authors.
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Abstract
Background: Falls represent a critical public health burden in older adults and individuals with neurological disabilities, but evidence for passive footwear-based fall prevention strategies remains limited. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate changes in fall frequency and fall-related outcomes following adoption of variable-friction (VF) footwear. Methods: This retrospective pre-post observational study used self-reported survey data collected from community-dwelling adults aged 18 years or older who had worn VF footwear for 3 months or longer. Participants were recruited from a convenience sample of 14,570 invited customers who purchased the device through an electronic survey platform. Outcomes included self-reported fall frequency, injurious falls, fall mechanisms, fall-related health care use (including medical visits, urgent care, and hospitalization), and assistive device use, assessed before and during VF footwear use. Results: A total of 706 participants completed the survey, yielding 705 participants with usable data for analysis (4.8% response rate). Mean monthly participant-reported falls decreased from 2.4 (SD 4.3) before VF use to 0.3 (SD 1.9) during VF use (87.1% reduction; Wilcoxon signed-rank test, Conclusions: VF footwear use was associated with substantial reductions in self-reported falls, injurious falls, and fall-related health care use. Reductions in trip-related falls are consistent with the proposed biomechanical mechanism of the device. Given the low survey response rate and potential for self-selection bias, these findings should be considered preliminary. Prospective controlled studies are needed to confirm these findings.
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