Search Here

Most women know that besides the clothes people wear, what completes the outfit is the perfect shoes. But in a couple of studies conducted by researchers from the University of A Coruña found that due to the changes that the feet undergo when a person ages, the elderly are more likely to wear the wrong size and type of shoes. In fact, by choosing the wrong shoes to wear, it literally ruins the lives of the elderly.

In a previous study conducted by the same researchers from the University of A Coruña, they found that almost all elderly people or individual who have a mean age of 80, the study found that as people age, the physiology of the foot changes too.

Due to the changes of the foot morphology, the tolerance level of the elderly for pain changes too and these two factors contribute to almost all elderly individuals choosing the wrong size and type of shoes. In fact, elderly people are advised by the researchers to choose the right size and type of shoes on each foot as one foot is different from the other.

The new study, continuing on from the previous study's findings, focuses on the effects of choosing the wrong shoes to wear. The researchers found that around 87 percent of elderly people seek medical help for increasing foot problems as they age. Age-related diseases and other health issues also contribute to their diminishing foot functions and affect the overall quality of life of the elderlies.

The study, published in the journal of the Brazilian Medical Association, analyzed data collected from volunteer-participants with an average age of 75-years old. The study found that due to wearing the wrong shoes, the elderly people are living a low-quality life due to increase levels of pain, diminishing foot function, low physical and social activities, and overall low on physical health.

Moreover, the study found that due to choosing the wrong shoes to wear, anyone not only the elderlies are likely to develop foot problems like bunions, flat feet, plantar keratosis and worse, foot deformities. Problems arising from changing foot morphology include limited mobility, infections, and increase experiences of imbalance and falls.

The researchers advise the use of proper size and type of shoes and regularly check-up with a podiatrist to prevent, reduce, and control the escalation of potential foot problems in the elderly.