Bulletin

Issue: March 2005

Comment

Faulty footwear may increase risk of falls

Inappropriate footwear is a major cause of foot problems and may increase the risk of falls in older people.

This is the advice from La Trobe University researcher, Dr Hylton Menz, who is conducting research on foot problems, footwear, balance, and falls in older people.

His research, conducted at the La Trobe Retirement Village in Reservoir, found that 70 per cent of the 176 people he is assessing aged between 63 and 96 wore shoes that were too small for their feet.

Dr Menz is a National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) clinical research fellow working in La Trobe’s Musculoskeletal Research Centre in the University’s School of Physiotherapy.

He and fellow researcher, Professor Meg Morris, have grants from both the NHMRC and the Australian Association of Gerontology to research the cause of falls in older people.