Orthopedic footwear has a positive influence on gait adaptability in individuals with hereditary motor and sensory neuropathy.

BACKGROUND: Individuals with Hereditary Motor and Sensory Neuropathy (HMSN) are commonly provided with orthopedic footwear to improve gait. Although orthopedic footwear has shown to improve walking speed and spatiotemporal parameters, its effect on gait adaptability has not been established.

RESEARCH QUESTION: What is the effect of orthopedic footwear on gait adaptability in individuals with HMSN?

METHODS: Fifteen individuals with HMSN performed a precision stepping task on an instrumented treadmill projecting visual targets, while wearing either custom-made orthopedic or standardized footwear (i.e. minimally supportive, flexible sneakers). Primary measure of gait adaptability was the absolute Euclidean distance [mm] between the target center and the middle of the foot (absolute error). Secondary outcomes included the relative and variable error [mm] in both anterior-posterior (AP) and medial-lateral (ML) directions. Dynamic balance was assessed by the prediction of ML foot placement based on the ML center of mass position and velocity, using linear regression. Dynamic balance was primarily determined by foot placement deviation in terms of root mean square error. Another aspect of dynamic balance was foot placement adherence in terms of the coefficient of determination (R2 ). Differences between the footwear conditions were analyzed with a paired t-test or Wilcoxon signed-rank test (α = 0.05).

RESULTS: The absolute error, relative error (AP) and variable error (AP and ML) decreased with orthopedic footwear, whereas the relative error in ML-direction slightly increased. As for dynamic balance, no effect on foot placement deviation or adherence was found.

SIGNIFICANCE: Gait adaptability improved with orthopedic compared to standardized footwear in people with HMSN, as indicated by improved precision stepping. Dynamic balance, as a possible underlying mechanism, was not affected by orthopedic footwear.