The impact of footwear on the gait of younger children

This research explored the impact of different types of footwear on young children's walking and running. We found that sandals, sneakers and boots change walking and running in young children compared to walking or running in bare feet. However, when we changed the hardness of the sole, this had minimal different to walking and running in a softer sole. As a result, clinicians can cautiously inform parents of the minimal impact of sole hardness of footwear.