The effect of prolonged standing on the body and the impact of footwear hardness

Prolonged standing is an occupational feature for around half of all workers. Risk of musculoskeletal disorders of the lower back, lower extremities and feet is increased in this population (Andersen et al., 2007). Softer flooring with greater elasticity and decreased energy absorption has been associated with decreases in subjective discomfort (Cham and Redfern, 2001). Footwear and insoles have also been shown to influence discomfort during prolonged standing (Orlando and King, 2002) and have the advantage of being individual and portable. However, the effect of prolonged standing and interventions on lower limb biomechanical parameters is not fully understood (Waters and Dick, 2016). Further, no research has investigated the effect of altering individual footwear parameters on the biomechanics of prolonged standing