The Immediate Effect of the Toe only Rocker on Walking Parameters in the Patients with Type 2 Diabetes

Introduction: The prevention of foot ulcer and the improvement of gait pattern in the diabetic patients are crucial to understand the lower limbs kinematics. Various kinds of rockers can be used in shoes to reduce the forces applied on the plantar surfaces in patients with diabetic foot. The aim of this study was to investigate the kinematic parameters of gait using toe-only rocker shoes in patients with diabetic foot. Methods and Materials: Forty type 2 diabetic patients (22 females; mean age 58.2) were recruited for participation in this study. Examination of the subject's gait in this study was based on two walking conditions including standard shoes and shoes with toe-only rocker. A three-dimensional gait analyses was conducted to assess the kinematic parameters. For comparison the two test conditions, a paired t-test was utilized. Results: With the application of shoes with toe-only rocker, there was no significant differences in the walking speed improvement compared with standard shoe(P=0.260), However, the step length and cadence (P˂0.001) were significantly increased when walking with toe-only rocker shoe compared with standard shoe. The range of motion of all three lower limb joints (ankle, knee, and hip) was significantly decreased using toe-only rocker shoe (P˂0.05). Conclusion: The present study demonstrated a significant increase in the cadence and step length and a significant reduction in range of motion of lower limb joints during walking using toe-only rocker shoes compared with standard shoes in diabetic patients. Based on the results of this study, it seems that toe-only rocker can improve the gait pattern of people with diabetes. More study with long term follow-up is needed. Keywords: Diabetic Foot, Kinematic, Gait, Toe-only Rocker, Sho