The Effect of Textured Insoles on Gait in People with Multiple Sclerosis: An Exploratory Study

Abstract

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). Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.