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Impact on balance while walking in occupational footwear

Hazards and challenges present in the workplace pose a number of potential balance risks for injuries and illness. Purpose: The purpose of the study was to examine the differences in balance while walking for extended durations with different types of occupational footwear. Methods: Participants were tested for balance prior to walking session (Pre) and then again every 30 minutes until the 240th minute in three types of occupational footwear; work boots, tactical boots and low top shoes. Sway velocity and root-mean-square sway in the anterior-posterior and medial-lateral directions were evaluated using a 3 × 9 repeated measures analysis of variance to identify any existing differences within exposure time and footwear types. Results: Significant differences in postural sway were found over time in medial-lateral sway and between footwear in anterior-posterior and medial-lateral sway. Significant differences were found between the work boots, tactical boots and low top shoes, with the low top shoes exhibiting an increased postural sway. Conclusion: The changes in balance over time may be attributed to the workload placed on the individual resulting from the extended durations of walking/standing. Use of low top shoes resulted in a relatively greater balance decrement. The work boots and tactical boots despite having a greater mass, resulted in less of a balance decrement, which may be attributed to their elevated boot shaft height.