Better Gait Quality and Speed in Adults with Down Syndrome when Wearing Supportive Shoes Compared to Unsupportive Shoes and Barefoot

Background: Individuals with Down syndrome (DS), often experience a slower gait speed and decreased quality of gait. Different types of footwear have shown changes in gait in people without DS. The current study aimed to examine the differences between wearing commercially available supportive shoes, unsupportive shoes, and no footwear on gait quality and speed in people with DS. Methods: In this repeated measures study, 20 adults with DS walked under three footwear conditions: supportive, unsupportive, and no footwear. Gait deviations were scored according to the Rancho Los Amigos Observational Gait Analysis (OGA) and gait speed was measured using the 10-Meter Walk Test. Results: When gait was examined, the OGA results showed significant differences across all three conditions for overall major deviations (F=3.912, df=2, p=.029; p=0.026) and overall total deviations (F=3.896, df=2, p=.029; p=0.047) for left and right legs, respectively. Pairwise comparisons between conditions did not reach significance. There was a significant difference in gait speed (Greenhouse-Geisser adjusted F=8.974, p=0.004). Gait speed was significantly faster when participants wore supportive shoes compared to when they walked barefoot (8.9±2.0 vs. 10.0±2.3, p=0.002) and compared to when they wore unsupportive shoes (8.9±2.0 vs. 10.8±3.4, p=0.014) Conclusion: Adults with Down syndrome who wore supportive shoes demonstrated better gait quality with fewer deviations compared to when they walked barefoot. Additionally, they had a faster gait speed when walking in supportive shoes compared to both walking in unsupportive shoes and barefoot.