Footwear is an important part of podiatric assessment of a patient and can often play a role in the diagnosis and treatment of a condition. This is especially true for geriatric patients. It has been found that the majority of the elderly population wears poorly fitting shoes1. This predisposes them to many conditions that could have been prevented if the correct shoes had been worn. The main functions of footwear is to provide protection to the feet and thereby prevent injury. Additionally, footwear has a role in fashion, assists with specialised activities, and can be used to compensate for any physical anomalies. Patterns of wear on shoes can be helpful in understanding each patient’s structure and function, and thus aid diagnosis and treatment. …show more content…
Mass produced footwear are those that can be found at general shoe stores and are designed to fit feet with no pathologies4. Additionally, they are made in a limited number of sizes and so it may be difficult to find a shoe that fits perfectly4. Specialist footwear can be grouped into stock footwear and bespoke footwear4. Stock footwear are ready made orthopaedic shoes that are made in a much larger range of sizes that mass produced shoes4. However, stock footwear still only accommodates the non-pathological foot4. Bespoke footwear is helpful here4. These are shoes that are custom made for the individual and can accommodate any pathologies that affect the feet4.
There is limited footwear available for elderly individuals that fulfils the requirements of an ideal shoe for this group of people. There are six aspects that should be met in order to be considered ideal for geriatrics. They are: a low heel, a supportive heel collar, a bevelled heel, fastening mechanism that is either laces or Velcro straps, a thin but supportive midsole, and a slip-resistant outsole2,5. Athletic and canvas shoes are ideal and have the lowest risk of falls5.
** Add