Influence of military workload and footwear on static and dynamic balance performance

Balance performance have been shown to be influenced by footwear design characteristics and physiological workloads. This study was conducted to assess the impact of two military footwear, standard (STD) and minimalist (MIN) boots, on human balance before (PRE) and after (POST) a simulated military type, load carriage exercise. Twenty two male participants [age: 22.14 ± 2.68 years; height: 176.69 ± 6.82 cm; weight: 79.81 ± 9.70 kg] were tested for balance in bilateral and unilateral stances with and without challenging sensory information and using a star excursion balance test (SEBT). Center of pressure postural sway variables from different balance testing conditions and reach distances from SEBT, were analyzed using a 2(STD-MIN) x 2(PRE-POST) repeated measures analysis of variance. Results revealed significantly greater postural sway in the STD boot and in POST workload conditions. Decrements in balance can be attributed to boot design characteristics and muscular exertion due to the workload.