Park Jung Hyun, Benson Rhea F, Morgan Katherine D, Matharu Roma, Block Hannah J
Department of Kinesiology, School of Public Health, Indiana University Bloomington, United States of America.
Department of Kinesiology, School of Public Health, Indiana University Bloomington, United States of America.
Hum Mov Sci. 2023 Feb;87:103024. doi: 10.1016/j.humov.2022.103024. Epub 2022 Nov 9.
Balance relies on several types of sensory information, including somatosensory senses such as touch and position sense (proprioception). As these senses decline in older adults, there is a question of whether shoes limit somatosensory feedback from the floor. Textured insoles are designed to stimulate the soles of the feet to enhance tactile feedback. Textured insoles have shown balance benefits in some populations, but it is unclear if such tactile stimulation improves a person's balance even in cushioned athletic shoes, which dampen proprioceptive signals. Here we ask whether tactile vs. proprioceptive cues contribute differently to balance control in the healthy somatosensory system. We assessed balance in 20 healthy young adults under four footwear conditions: cushioned shoes with regular insoles, cushioned shoes with textured insoles, barefoot, and minimalist shoes. Each condition was evaluated using the Y-Balance Test (YBT) and the Balance Error Scoring System (BESS), validated tests of dynamic and static balance, respectively. YBT is a dynamic reaching test performed on one leg. The BESS includes various stance conditions with eyes closed. The results showed that footwear influenced dynamic balance only, with textured insoles leading to significantly better performance than barefoot and minimalist shoes did in the YBT. These results suggest that at least for dynamic balance, balance benefits of tactile stimulation from the textured insoles offset any dampening of proprioception caused by the athletic shoes' cushioning. Future research on how these conditions compare in older adults may lead to improved footwear recommendations to reduce fall risk and injuries for that population.
平衡依赖于几种类型的感觉信息，包括躯体感觉，如触觉和位置感觉（本体感觉）。随着这些感觉在老年人中衰退，便产生了一个问题：鞋子是否会限制来自地面的躯体感觉反馈。有纹理的鞋垫旨在刺激脚底，以增强触觉反馈。有纹理的鞋垫已在某些人群中显示出对平衡有益，但尚不清楚这种触觉刺激是否能改善即使穿着有缓冲的运动鞋的人的平衡，因为这种运动鞋会减弱本体感觉信号。在这里，我们探讨触觉线索与本体感觉线索对健康躯体感觉系统中平衡控制的贡献是否不同。我们评估了20名健康年轻人在四种鞋类条件下的平衡：配有普通鞋垫的有缓冲的鞋子、配有有纹理鞋垫的有缓冲的鞋子、赤脚和极简主义鞋子。每种条件分别使用Y平衡测试（YBT）和平衡误差评分系统（BESS）进行评估，这两项分别是动态和静态平衡的有效测试。YBT是一项单腿进行的动态伸展测试。BESS包括各种闭眼站立姿势。结果表明，鞋类仅影响动态平衡，在YBT测试中，有纹理的鞋垫比赤脚和极简主义鞋子的表现明显更好。这些结果表明，至少对于动态平衡来说，有纹理鞋垫的触觉刺激对平衡的益处抵消了运动鞋缓冲对本体感觉造成的任何减弱。未来关于这些条件在老年人中如何比较的研究可能会带来改进的鞋类建议，以降低该人群的跌倒风险和受伤几率。
