Assesment of commercially available children’s orthopedic footwear

Background. The term “orthopedic shoes” becomes an advertisement through which manufacturers promote their products to the market. Parents face the problem of selecting shoes that ensures normal function and development of the child’s foot. In this regard, the situation must be understood.

The aim of the study is to identify the conformity of the footwear design and the parameters of special orthopedic parts to the requirements of the current regulatory and technical documentation for footwear for specific deformation as well as to obtain information regarding consumer information on the indications and contraindications of the designation of children’s shoes, set out in the leaflet regarding the use of shoes with special orthopedic parts.

Materials and methods. This study was based on the results of a study of 23 pairs of 155-size children’s shoes. The shoes were selected by random sampling from the assortment that is in retail sale. The research was performed by the staff of the Federal State Institution Federal Scientific Center for the Rehabilitation of the disabled named after G.A. Albrecht of the Ministry of Labor of Russia, which are the developers of the national standard (R 544072011 “Orthopedic footwear. General technical requirements”).

Results and discussion. The research data showed that virtually all footwear examined was manufactured in violation of the current regulatory and technical documentation. Shoes that go to free sale for selection under the guise of “orthopedic” shoes have a very attractive appearance (seen by the design and bright colors). However, such footwear does not provide the performance of medical purposes because special orthopedic parts have parameters that do not meet the requirements of national standards.

Thus, uncontrolled implementation of orthopedic footwear for selection is unacceptable. In this regard, children without pathology of the foot and musculoskeletal system should wear standard footwear without special details. Children in need of orthopedic footwear should wear shoes strictly according to the doctor’s prescription, considering the individual anatomical and functional features of the child’s foot.