Influence of Shoe Characteristics on the Development of Valgus Foot in Children

Abstract

For thousands of years, shoes have been worn to protect the feet from injury, and the proper choice and use of footwear are directly relevant to foot health, especially that of children. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between shoe-related factors (type and frequency of use) and the prevalence of valgus foot in children. This analytical cross-sectional observational study was carried out on a population of children in the first, second or third year of primary education, to analyzing the frequency and type of shoes worn, and to determining the presence or not of valgus foot. The sample consisted of 132 children (of 642 potential subjects), with an average age of 7.53 years (Standard Deviation (SD) 0.80), which was composed of 61 boys (46.2%) and 71 girls (53.8%). The overall prevalence of valgus foot was 45.5% (n = 60). The use of boots 2–5 days a week was significantly associated, in both sexes, with a lower prevalence of valgus in the left foot (30.5%, p = 0.009). The use of boots could be associated with a lower presence of valgus, depending on the frequency of wear.

The impact of functional excess of footwear on the foot shape of 7-year-old girls and boys

“…Children's feet are particularly sensitive to external factors as they are undergoing developmental processes (Medina-Alcántara et al, 2019). From the developmental point of view, the early school period is one of the most important stages.…”

“…The correct selection of footwear is of particular importance for children, mainly due to the dynamics of the development of the musculoskeletal system and the loads to which the lower parts of the kinematic chain are subjected to. However, this choice is often more influenced by aesthetic, economic or marketing considerations than by health considerations (Medina-Alcántara et al, 2019). Parents of girls especially try to ensure that the shoes, apart from being practical, have a fashionable and attractive appearance (Zhang & Wang, 2017).…”

Flatfoot and associated factors among Ethiopian school children aged 11 to 15 years: A school-based study

“…Besides, a regional study reported that 7.8% of schoolchildren had ankle and foot pain [17]. Studies had reported several risk factors for flatfoot among children like family history, age, gender, weight, BMI, type of footwear, physical activity, and associated with hypermobility, genu valgum, and heel valgus [1,5,6,12,18]. The critical time for the development of the plantar arch is before 6 years, continues to develop until the age of 10and normative data indicates 'flat' is normal for children up to 10 years of age [2,12].…”

“…Due to plantar fat pad, the infant's feet appear flat; this fatty pad disappears between 2 and 10 years of age after developmental changes in the medial arch [ 2 ]. The anatomical manifestations of flattening or lowering of medial foot-arch are ligamentous laxity, equinus deformity, torsional deformity, vertical talus, and tarsal coalition, caused by multifactorial variables like overweight, obesity, type of footwear’s, weak muscles that support the arch, foot injury, and congenital deformations [ 3 – 6 ]. Besides, many authors claim that flatter foot structure among obese school-aged children might be due to fat feet rather than the structural lowering of the arch (flat feet) and emphasized the need to include a larger sample of normal weight control participants to explain the association in the absence of imaging outcome measures [ 7 – 9 ].…”

Effects of shoes on children’s fundamental motor skills performance

“…Footwear as an external factor can either positively or negatively influence children's feet and consequently FMSP, as the lower body is mostly involved. Foot health can also be influenced by shoes because the structure of the foot is not consolidated in children (Medina-Alcantara et al, 2019). On the other hand, it was shown that children wearing athletic shoes performed better on the TGMD-2 locomotor subscale compared to flipflop sandals (Robinson et al, 2011) therefore, wellfitted shoes appear to be essential for children's motor performance.…”