A study led by the University of La Coruña (Spain) concluded that most of elderly people do not choose the right shoe type, which then leads them to experience other conditions. If you are interested in reading the full article, you can find it here:
Elderly people who choose the wrong shoes have a lower quality of life
As people get older, their foot morphology changes and so it is important to choose the right size of shoe, as these changes occur. Researchers used a group of participants with a mean age of 80 years, to investigated whether changes in foot shape and pain tolerance in elderly people led to them wearing inappropriate footwear. Their results showed that 83% of people did not wear the correct shoe size and on certain cases they should be choosing a different shoe size for each foot.
Daniel López, a scientist at the University of La Coruña, led another study with the goal of identifying the impacts of the inadequate choice of shoes in the health of elders. The group of participants had a mean age of 75 years, and he found that those who wore the wrong type of shoes reported a lower life satisfaction in matters related to pain, foot function, footwear, food health, general health, physical activity, social capacity and vitality.
Researchers found that the most frequent disorders suffered by these individuals were foot bone deformities, bunions, toenail malformations, plantar keratosis and flat feet, which Daniel López believes could later lead to chronic pain, infections, limited mobility when walking, anxiety, apathy, social disturbances, changes to pressure distribution in feet related to loss of balance and falls, which as a result negatively impact upon health, independence and well-being.
Daniel López commented: “Because of people’s lifestyles at this age, they can use shoes that are harmful to their feet. This, combined with the appearance of chronic diseases such as obesity, vascular diseases, diabetes or rheumatoid arthritis, causes a worrying increase in foot problems in elderly people of between 71% and 87%”.
The advice given to participants was to wear wide-fit shoes, adjustable using velcro or straps, rubber soles to prevent slipping and falling and reduce the impact on joints and pressure when walking.
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