Background
Recent studies support the theory that ill-fitting shoes are an important source of pain and may lead to foot malformations in the medium term. Taking as reference the ideal allowance considered in the literature, the purpose of this study was to verify the outdoor footwear fit in a population of schoolchildren of southern Spain.
Methods
Five hundred and five children within the range of 3–12 years of age participated in this study. Using a measuring instrument designed and validated for this purpose, maximum foot length, width and height were obtained from the longest foot. These measurements were compared with the inner length, width and height of the footwear. An adequate toe allowance of 5–15 mm in length and 10 mm in width were estimated.
Results
Inner footwear length was shorter than foot length in 33.3% of the schoolchildren. Based on the allowance established, it was observed that the footwear of the schoolchildren was too short and too narrow in 72.5 and 66.7% of the cases, respectively.
Conclusions
Only one third of the participants analysed had well-fitted footwear. The results show that it is necessary to raise awareness among parents and teachers about the importance of replacing, periodically, the footwear of children in primary education. Manufacturers should adapt the lasts considering the use of 90th percentiles instead of mean values obtained from the growth curves of schoolchildren’s feet.
Brachymetatarsia is a malformation characterized by an abnormal reduction in the length of 1 or more metatarsal bones. It occurs because of early closure of the growth plate of the affected metatarsal. Generally, it is caused by a congenital disorder and it usually occurs bilaterally. With a greater prevalence in females, it most often affects the fourth metatarsal, followed by the first metatarsal. Surgical treatments proposed include using external mini-fixators or bone grafts in a single step to lengthen the metatarsal. In this review, 62 scientific articles about brachymetatarsia were analyzed with key demographic and epidemiological aspects of this pathology. The prevalence of bilateral brachymetatarsia was 47%, and the female to male ratio was 10.53:1. Both these findings appear to contradict the usual data reported for brachymetatarsia. A better understanding of this disorder will enable an appropriate therapeutic approach according to the psychological and social profile of affected individuals.
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