Purpose. This study aimed to investigate whether textured insoles can improve gait in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). Relevance. Previous studies have shown that footwear, including textured insoles, may improve postural stability in healthy young and older adults (Palluel et al., 2008;Hatton et al., 2009;Hatton et al., 2011), and there is some evidence to show that footwear interventions may be beneficial for people with MS (Ramdharry et al., 2006;Kelleher et al., 2010). Participants. Forty-six people with MS (34 women), mean age (SD) 49 years (7), who reported that they were able to walk 100 m with or without resting with the use of one stick or crutch, participated in the study. Methods. Ethical approval was granted by the Local Research Ethics Committee. Participants were randomized to one of two textured insole groups: texture A (Algeos UK Ltd, Liverpool, UK), which was used in our previous studies (Hatton et al., 2009;Hatton et al., 2011), or texture B, a commercial insole (Crocs ™ , Den Haag, The Netherlands). Participants conducted baseline walking tests at their preferred speed along an instrumented walkway (GAITRite) in a laboratory setting, and temporal-spatial gait parameters were extracted. Participants then wore the insoles for two weeks and returned for repeat testing. Analysis. Paired t-tests were used to evaluate changes between baseline and follow-up. Results. Stride length increased between baseline and follow-up in both legs in group A (left p = 0.01, right p = 0.02) and group B (left p = 0.02, right p = 0.02). Velocity and cadence did not change significantly in either group. Discussion. This finding that textured insoles can produce improvements in stride length requires further investigation. It is consistent with research on foot orthoses in MS showing an improvement in balance after four weeks of wear (Ramdharry et al., 2006).

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To date, no longitudinal studies have enrolled sexual assault (SA) survivors in the immediate aftermath of SA and evaluated changes in pain symptoms over time. In this study, we assessed the incidence and distribution of new moderate or severe pain (NMSP) 6 weeks after SA. Women $ 18 years of age presenting within 72 hours of SA to one of 11 acute medical treatment centers were recruited. Pain symptom assessments were performed 1 and 6 weeks after assault (0-10 numeric rating scale [NRS] in each of eight body regions). One week evaluation included an assessment of both current pain and pain experienced during the week prior to assault. SA history and participant physical examination/injury information were obtained from treatment center records. NMSP in a body region at 6 weeks was defined by NRS pain score $ 4 in a region in which pain score # 3 was reported during the week prior to SA. To date, 64 adult women survivors (mean(SD) age = 26(7.9)) have completed 6 week follow-up. NMSP was present in 27/64 (42%) of SA survivors: 10/64 (16%) had NMSP in 1 body region, 6/64 (9%) had NMSP in 2 body regions, and 11/64 (17%) had NMSP in $ 3 regions. NMSP was most common in the back (17, 22%), abdomen (13, 20%), neck (12, 19%), and head or face (12, 19%). In the majority of body regions with NMSP (71%), there was no historical or physical evidence of trauma at the time of assault. These results suggest that one or more regions of NMSP are common 6 weeks after assault in SA survivors. Regions of NMSP are not limited to genital/pelvic regions or regions experiencing substantial trauma. Further studies are needed to better understand the development of pain symptoms after SA.