Extra depth shoes help all foot pain in older adults. Foot pain is a common complaint in old age, but it can prove very difficult to treat. “The structure and function of the foot changes significantly with age…. With advancing age, the foot to exhibits increased soft tissue stiffness, decreased range of motion, decreased strength, and a more pronated posture.” This changes the way weight is distributed on the foot, which can lead to problems down the road. The researchers set out to see if extra depth shoes, normally used in diabetic patients, might help with foot pain from other causes. “The extra-depth footwear group was more likely to report their foot pain had moderately or markedly improved over the four month period and they also developed fewer keratotic lesions, like corns or calluses, than the comparison group. When the participants took the foot health questionnaire again, the special footwear group scored 11 points better for pain and 10 points better for function than the comparison group.” These findings held regardless of the cause of foot pain. 

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