Axios titles Should you take your feet off before heading to the gym?
article Axias article Does it matter what shoes you wear?
A new study suggests that if you don’t want to look like a complete mess when you’re on the floor, you shouldn’t wear shoes that come in a range of sizes.
The study by University of Colorado Boulder psychology professor Alexei Tsvetkov and his co-authors, which was published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology, is the first to explore the effects of different footwear styles on perceived physical performance and health.
The researchers used a set of standardized measurements of foot and ankle pain and also used an automated digital health assessment tool.
They found that while some styles of shoes did seem to improve overall physical performance, others were associated with increased injury risk, increased illness risk, and lower perceived physical activity.
These were the types of shoes that the researchers found most associated with poor physical performance in the study.
Here’s what the researchers had to say about the study: “Our study shows that the perception of physical activity and fitness depends on the size of shoes, but there is still some uncertainty about whether shoes should be worn when running or walking.
Our study does not address the question of what to wear in a particular shoe style, but does highlight the importance of considering the differences between running shoes, walking shoes, and running shoes that fit.”
The researchers say that while the study found that people were more likely to wear shoes in the right size for their feet, this was not because they were less likely to feel pain, illness, or injury in these shoes.
“The perception of pain and illness did not change significantly among participants wearing more than one size of shoe, but increased significantly among those wearing the same size of foot shoes.”
The study found, for instance, that wearing shoes that were too big or too small actually increased the likelihood of a participant feeling pain and being ill in these footwear, but did not improve the overall physical health of the participants.
“Our results suggest that it is not shoes that matter most in terms of physical performance; it is the quality of the shoes,” the authors write.
“As more people are adopting shoes that are more similar to the typical shoe size, the perception and experience of pain, discomfort, and illness in these more extreme shoe sizes may be changing.”
“Our data suggest that, despite the fact that people perceive running shoes as a good fit for their shoes, there is a strong tendency to avoid running in these extreme shoes.”
To be clear, the authors of the study didn’t say that people should be afraid of wearing running shoes.
Rather, the study was a way to investigate the possibility that wearing the wrong shoes could have a detrimental effect on people’s physical performance.
For instance, if people were to wear a size 7 or a size 8 shoe that was too small for them, this could make them feel uncomfortable.
Or, if a person were to run in a size 11 or a 10, this would lead to the person feeling uncomfortable.
And so on.
The results also indicate that there’s some information to be gleaned from these findings.
For example, people might be more likely not to run for their health if they knew that they were wearing the right shoes.
If the shoe size were changing frequently, this might also make them more likely, or at least less likely, to get injured.
This would also likely lead to a decrease in the perception that people are physically active and healthy.
Another caveat to these results is that the shoe choices the researchers made for each shoe were relatively standardized.
Some shoes were more comfortable than others.
This means that it’s difficult to tease out the impact of shoes on people based on their actual shoe choices.
“It is possible that people who were not wearing shoes with a certain size in a specific size range may be more susceptible to injuries due to this perceived difference in comfort,” the researchers conclude.
The authors say that, given the findings of previous studies on the effects and health of different shoes, it’s unlikely that shoes will have a huge impact on physical activity levels.
“We do not have evidence that shoes are a primary cause of physical impairment, but we do know that some shoes may be harmful to physical performance,” the study concludes.