Can taekwondo footwear affect postural stability in young adults?

Shirley S.M. Fong, Sheung Mei Shamay Ng

Research output: Journal article publicationJournal articleAcademic researchpeer-review

4 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Background: This study aims to investigate the effect of taekwondo footwear on unilateral stance stability and use of postural control strategies and to determine whether taekwondo footwear influences the somatosensory inputs for postural stability and postural strategies in young adults. Methods: A quasi-randomized crossover trial was conducted on 33 healthy young adults at a university research laboratory. Independent variables, including shoe conditions (shoes on and shoes off) and visual conditions (eyes open and eyes closed), were taken into account. The center of gravity (COG) sway velocity in unilateral stance and the strategy scores in the sensory organization test were measured. No intervention was given to the participants. Results: There was no significant interaction between the two factors (the shoe and visual conditions) for COG sway velocities (P = .447) and strategy scores (P = .320). The shoe condition was not significant in either COG sway velocity (P = .484) or strategy score (P = .126). The visual condition was significant for COG sway velocity (P < .001) but not for strategy score (P = .573). The mean ± SD COG sway velocity with eyes open was 0.7° ± 0.2°/sec and with eyes closed was 1.7° ± 0.6°/sec (P < .001). Conclusions: Taekwondo footwear is unlikely to affect somatosensory inputs and balance performance in young adults.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)291-296
Number of pages6
JournalJournal of the American Podiatric Medical Association
Volume103
Issue number4
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jan 2013

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Podiatry
  • Orthopedics and Sports Medicine

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