Rome, KStewart, SVandal, ACGow, PMcNair, PDalbeth, N2014-12-082014-12-0820132013-09-24BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders 2013, 14:278. DOI:10.1186/1471-2474-14-2781471-2474https://hdl.handle.net/10292/8203Background There is limited evidence on non-pharmacological interventions for gout. The aim of the study was to determine whether a footwear intervention can reduce foot pain and musculoskeletal disability in people with gout. Methods Thirty-six people with gout participated in a prospective intervention study over 8 weeks. Participants selected one of 4 pairs of shoes and thereafter wore the shoes for 8 weeks. The primary outcome was foot pain using a 100 mm visual analogue scale. Secondary outcomes related to function and disability were also analysed. Results The Cardio Zip shoe was selected by 58% of participants. Compared with baseline, overall scores for all shoes at 8-weeks demonstrated a decrease in foot pain (p = 0.03), general pain (p = 0.012), Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ)-II (p = 0.016) and Leeds Foot Impact Scale (LFIS) impairment subscale (p = 0.03). No significant differences were observed in other patient reported outcomes including patient global assessment, LFIS activity subscale, and Lower Limb Task Questionnaire subscales (all p > 0.10). We observed significant improvements between baseline measurements using the participants’ own shoes and the Cardio Zip for foot pain (p = 0.002), general pain (p = 0.001), HAQ-II (p = 0.002) and LFIS impairment subscale (p = 0.004) after 8 weeks. The other three shoes did not improve pain or disability. Conclusions Footwear with good cushioning, and motion control may reduce foot pain and disability in people with gout.This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.AdultAgedBiomechanical phenomenaDisability evaluationEquipment designFemaleFootGoutHumansMaleMiddle agedNew ZealandOrthotic devicesPainPain measurementPilot projectsProspective studiesQuestionnairesRecovery of functionShoesTime factorsTreatment outcomeJournal ArticleOpenAccess10.1186/1471-2474-14-278