The trouble with footwear following stroke: a qualitative study of the views and experience of people with stroke

Donovan‐Hall, Maggie; Robison, Judy; Cole, Mark; Ashburn, Ann; Bowen, Catherine; Burnett, Malcolm; Mamode, Louis; Pickering, Ruth; Bader, Dan L.; Kunkel, Dorit

doi:10.1080/09638288.2018.1516816

Cited by 7 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 23 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Our findings are in line with our previously published survey and qualitative study findings, suggesting that footwear choices and foot problems challenge people with stroke [ 12 , 18 ]. In the present study, many community-dwelling people with stroke wore poorly fitting and inappropriate shoes, all had foot problems, and a high percentage reported instability and falls.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

“…Together the evidence suggests that most people continue to wear slipper type shoes or generally unsupportive footwear indoors [ 12 , 29–31 ] despite the increased risk of foot problems and falls. Findings from our related previously published qualitative study component showed that men typically always wore slippers indoors because they provide comfort and warmth, are easy to get on and off, and accommodate swollen feet; whereas women were concerned about the shortcomings of slippers and wore them for shorter periods during the day [ 18 ]. Others reported that older people often wear slippers around the home all day and replace them infrequently [ 32 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Emerging evidence suggests that people with stroke currently feel unsupported and perceive a lack of professional advice of footwear choices [ 12 , 18 ]. These finding are also reflected in the steady decline in the number of podiatrists [ 47 , 48 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This project was part of a larger study exploring footwear and foot problems in relation to balance and falls in people with stroke and Parkinson disease (NIHR PB-PG-0212-27001). The larger study was split into four study components (a self-report survey [ 12 ], a podiatric foot (wear) assessment, an experimental movement analysis component exploring balance performance in indoor and outdoor shoes and a qualitative study component exploring the views and experiences of in relation to footwear choices [ 18 ]). This focus of this paper is reporting findings of the podiatric footwear assessment component.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Despite growing awareness that foot and ankle problems can impact on balance performance and well-being in people with stroke [ 11 , 17 ], to date, no studies have been carried out exploring podiatrist assessed foot problems, footwear quality, and fit specific to people with chronic stroke. In this study, we built on our previous work [ 12 , 18 ] with the objective to explore indoor and outdoor footwear characteristics alongside podiatrist assessed foot problems in community dwelling people with stroke.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 4 more Smart Citations

Footwear characteristics and foot problems in community dwelling people with stroke: a cross-sectional observational study

Kunkel

Mamode

Burnett

et al. 2022

Disability and Rehabilitation

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Purpose To explore footwear characteristics and foot problems in community dwelling people with stroke as most research to date focused on the general elderly population. Methods Thirty people with mild to moderate stroke (nine men, mean age 68, mean time since onset 67 months) attended a single session to assess footwear and foot problems using established podiatry foot (wear) and ankle assessments. Results Most participants wore slippers indoors ( n = 17, 57%) and walking shoes outdoors ( n = 11, 37%). Over half wore unsupportive ill-fitting shoes indoors and 47% of outdoor shoes fitted badly. All participants had foot problems (mean 6.5 (3.1), 95% CI: 5.4–7.7), including impaired single limb heel raise (93%), reduced range of movement (77%), sensation (47%), and muscle strength (43%). Many had foot-pain, hallux valgus (both 50%), or swollen feet (40%). Foot problems were associated with reduced balance confidence, activity, and community participation (all p < 0.05). A greater proportion of fallers (13/16) than non-fallers (4/14) reported foot problems ( p = 0.029). Conclusions Many community-dwelling people with stroke wore poorly fitting shoes; all had foot problems. Foot problems were linked to reduced mobility. Finding more effective pathways to support people with stroke to select supportive, well-fitting indoor and outdoor footwear is indicated. Implications for rehabilitation People with stroke often wear unsupportive ill-fitting shoes and experience foot problems. Assessment of foot problems and footwear advice should be considered during stroke rehabilitation particularly when interventions target fall prevention or improvements in balance and mobility. Information on appropriate footwear and signposting that new shoe purchases should include measuring feet to ensure a good fit is recommended.

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%