Article

Unstable shoes, which have recently become popular, claim to provide
additional physiological and biomechanical advantages to people who wear them.
Alterations in postural stability have been shown when using the shoe after
training. However, the immediate effect on muscle activity when walking in
unstable shoes for the first time has not been investigated. OBJECTIVE: To
evaluate muscle activity and temporal parameters of gait when wearing Masai
Barefoot Technology shoes((R)) for the first time compared to the subject's own
regular trainer shoes. STUDY DESIGN: A pilot repeated-measures quasi control
trial. METHOD: Electromyographic measurements of lower leg muscles (soleus,
medial gastrocnemius, lateral gastrocnemius, tibialis anterior, peroneus longus,
rectus femoris, biceps femoris and gluteus medius) were measured in 15 healthy
participants using Masai Barefoot Technology shoes and trainer shoes over a 10-m
walkway. Muscle activity of the third and sixth steps was used to study the
difference in behaviour of the muscles under the two shoe conditions. Temporal
parameters were captured with footswitches to highlight heel strike, heel lift
and toe off. Paired samples t-test was completed to compare mean muscle activity
for Masai Barefoot Technology and trainer shoes. RESULTS: Indicated that the use
of Masai Barefoot Technology shoes increased the intensity of the magnitude of
muscle activity. While this increase in the activity was not significant across
the subjects, there were inter-individual differences in muscle activity. This
variance between the participants demonstrates that some subjects do alter muscle
behaviour while wearing such shoes. CONCLUSION: A more rigorous and specific
assessment is required when advising patients to purchase the Masai Barefoot
Technology shoe. Not all subjects respond positively to using unstable shoes, and
the point in time when muscle behaviour can change is variable. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Use of Masai Barefoot Technology shoe in patient management should be
monitored closely as the individual muscle changes and the point in time when
changes occur vary between subjects, and evaluation of how a subject responds is
not yet clear.

Langue : ANGLAIS