Effect of minimalist shoes on foot muscle morphology: systematic evaluation and Meta-analysis

doi:10.12307/2024.232

Abstract

Abstract: OBJECTIVE: With the popularity of simulated barefoot running, minimalist shoes have become a new way of foot exercise. As an important muscle group of the foot, the maintenance of foot muscle morphology is important for the execution of foot functions. In this paper, by combing the literature about the effect of minimalist shoes on foot muscle morphology in recent years, we systematically evaluate the effect of minimalist shoes on foot muscle morphology compared with traditional running shoes.
METHODS: The relevant articles published from 2012 to 2022 were searched in Chinese and English databases (PubMed, Web of Science, ProQuest, CNKI and WanFang databases) with “minimal shoes, minimal footwear, minimalist shoes, minimalist footwear, foot muscle, feet muscle” as Chinese and English keywords, respectively. Meta-analysis, sensitivity tests were performed on the included literature using Review Manager 5.4.1 and Stata 14 software, the Egger method was used to test for publication bias in the literature, and Meta-regression was used to identify the subgroups with heterogeneity.
RESULTS: Compared with traditional running shoes, minimalist shoes increased muscle circumference of the abductor hallucis [standardized mean difference=2.034, 95% confidence interval (1.192, 2.877), Z=4.73, P < 0.001]. And the results were not reversed after clipping and patching, with a more robust combined effect size (P < 0.05). For the toe short flexors, the total combined effect size did not show a difference between traditional running shoes and minimalist shoes [standardized mean difference=0.470, 95% confidence interval (-0.45, 1.39), Z=1.00, P=0.318].
CONCLUSION: Compared with traditional running shoes, minimalist shoes intervention can effectively improve muscle circumference of the abductor hallucis, but the promoting effect on the flexor digitorum brevis muscle is not obvious. Running in minimalist shoes has positive implications for the maintenance of the medial longitudinal arch, but it is necessary to enrich the research content of minimalist shoes on different foot muscles and different populations in order to further explore the mechanisms by which minimalist shoe interventions promote foot function.

Key words: minimalist shoes, foot muscle, abductor pollicis muscle, flexor digitorum brevis, foot morphology, Meta-analysis

CLC Number:

Bai Xiaotian, Chen Zhaoying, Song Yiling, Wang Ye, Liu Jingmin. Effect of minimalist shoes on foot muscle morphology: systematic evaluation and Meta-analysis[J]. Chinese Journal of Tissue Engineering Research, 2024, 28(4): 646-650.

Figures/Tables 13

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