FOOTWEAR CHARACTERISTICS AND FACTORS INFLUENCING
FOOTWEAR CHOICE IN PATIENTS WITH GOUT
Table 3. (Cont’d)
Table 3. (Cont’d)
Age, months
Midsole wear
< 6 17 (34) Medial compression signs 10 (20)
6–12 7 (14) Neutral 37 (74)
>12 26 (52) Lateral compression signs 3 (6)
Width, mean ± SD mm 23.7 ± 2.44 Tread pattern Length, mean ± SD mm 271.6 ± 18.9 Not worn 14 (28)
Partly worn 34 (68)
Fully worn 2 (4)
Motion control properties
1. Midfoot sole sagittal stability
Minimal 25 (50)
Outerwear pattern
Moderate 16 (32) None 14 (28)
Rigid 9 (18) Normal 23 (46)
Lateral 4 (8)
Medial 9 (18)
2. Midfoot sole frontal stability
Minimal 21 (42)
Moderate 17 (34)
Rigid 12 (24)
3. Heel counter stiffness
Not available 13 (26)
Minimal 21 (42)
Moderate Rigid 3 (6)
Rigid 13 (26)
4. Density
Single 48 (96)
Dual 2 (4)
5. Fixation
None 12 (24)
Laces 21 (42)
Straps/buckles 17 (34)
Presence of cushioning
None 30 (60)
Heel 2 (4)
Heel/forefoot 18 (36)
Forefoot sole flexion point
At level of first MTP joint 23 (46)
Before first MTP joint 27 (54)
Wear patterns
Upper wear
* Values are the number (percentage) unless otherwise indi-
cated.MTP = metatarsophalangeal.
Table 3 describes footwear characteristics. Footwear characteristics
demonstrated that shoes were frequently either too long or too short.
A similar finding was also found for shoe width, although shoe
depth was deemed to be good in more than 62% of patients. We
found that 24% (n = 12) of shoes had no fixation. More than 60%
(n = 30) of shoes demonstrated no cushioning and only 36% (n =
18) of shoes had heel/forefoot cushioning. Minimal motion control
properties were found in the current study, with only 26% (n = 13)
wearing shoes that had adequate heel counter stiffness, 50% (n =
25) of shoes with midfoot sole sagittal stability, and a further 42%
(n = 21) with midfoot sole frontal stability. We observed that 64%
(n = 32) of patients wore shoes with a heel height ranging between
2.6 and 5.0 cm; of those, 13 (41%) wore athletic shoes, 9 (28%)
wore Oxford-type shoes, 7 (22%) wore open shoes, 2 (6%) wore
bespoke footwear, and 1 (3%) wore boots. Forefoot sole flexion
point demonstrated 54% (n = 27) of shoes before the level of the
first MTP joint. More than one-half of the patients wore shoes that
were aged more than 12 months old.
Table 4. Factors relating to footwear choice*
No. (%)
Comfort 47 (98)
Fit 43 (90)
Support 43 (90)
Medial tilt 21 (42) Weight 30 (63)
Neutral 27 (54) Cost 29 (60)
2 (4) Sole 22 (46)
Style 17 (36)
Color 16 (33)
Lateral tilt
(continued)
* More than 1 response was possible using the questionnaire.
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