Enhanced Foot Proprioception Through 3-Minute Walking Bouts with Ultra-Minimalist Shoes on Surfaces That Mimic Highly...

Area of Science:

• Biomechanics
• Human Movement Science
• Sports Medicine

Background:

• Minimalist shoes improve foot somatosensory activation and stability.
• However, they can increase overuse injury risk during intense activities.
• Novel strategies are needed to leverage minimalist shoes' benefits while mitigating risks.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce and evaluate a novel exercise paradigm using ultra-minimalist shoes on rugged surfaces.
• To assess the impact of this exercise on foot muscle activity, joint stress, and postural stability.
• To compare this novel approach with barefoot walking and conventional shoe walking.

Main Methods:

• Participants walked for three minutes in ultra-minimalist shoes on artificial rugged terrain.
• Muscle activity (foot muscles, lumbar multifidus), pain perception, and stabilometric parameters were recorded.
• Data were compared to barefoot walking and walking in conventional shoes on the same surface.

Main Results:

• Ultra-minimalist shoes filtered nociceptive stimuli compared to barefoot walking.
• They enhanced somatosensory input for stability compared to conventional shoes.
• Both ultra-minimalist and conventional shoes increased gastrocnemius activity and decreased tibialis anterior and multifidus activity compared to barefoot walking.

Conclusions:

• A novel walking paradigm in ultra-minimalist shoes on rugged surfaces enhances foot somatosensory activation and postural stability.
• This method effectively minimizes joint stress and injury risk.
• The intervention is safe, time-efficient, and suitable for various age groups and controlled environments.