The Immediate Effects of Barefoot Walking on Balance Abilities through Stimulation of the Soles of the Feet and Aerobic Exercise

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

Purpose: The study aimed to investigate the immediate effects of barefoot walking on balance abilities.
Significant enhancements were observed in dynamic foot pressure and the Y balance test, indicating improvedbalance abilities.
Methods: A total of 25 young adults participated in performing dynamic foot pressure and Y balance testsbefore and after barefoot walking. Barefoot walking was performed for each participant at a comfortable pacefor a duration of 20 minutes.
Results: As a result, after performing 20 minutes of barefoot walking, there were significant improvementsin anteroposterior variability (p=0.023) in dynamic foot pressure indicators. Additionally, the composite resultsof the Y balance test showed significant improvements for both the right and left sides (p<.001).
Conclusion: The direct stimulation of the ground and intrinsic foot muscles through barefoot walking, coupledwith aerobic exercise, has a notable impact on balance. Future studies are necessary to explore thesustainability of these immediate effects over the long term and compare the effectiveness with regularwalking, ideally incorporating control groups.

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