Flat flexible school shoes for adolescents with patellofemoral pain: a randomised, assessor-blinded, parallel-group feasibility trial

OBJECTIVES: To determine the feasibility of conducting a large-scale randomised controlled trial on the efficacy of flat, flexible school footwear versus traditional school footwear in adolescents (aged 12–18 years) with patellofemoral pain (PFP). METHODS: Adolescents with PFP were recruited for this study. Participants were randomised to wear either a (1) flat, flexible school shoe or (2) a traditional school shoe. Participants wore the shoes as per school requirements for 12 weeks. Feasibility was assessed by (1) adherence to allocated shoe wear of ≥75% of total weekly school shoe wear time (recorded through weekly log sheets), (2) a recruitment rate of one participant per fortnight and (3) a dropout rate of ≤ 20%. Descriptive statistics were used for feasibility outcomes. RESULTS: 24 adolescents (15 men, 9 women, mean (SD) age 14.3 (1.7) years) participated in this study. Two participants (8%) were lost to follow-up. The recruitment rate was 1.7 participants per fortnight. 11 of 12 participants (91%) in the flat flexible shoe group and 9 of 10 participants (90%) in the traditional shoe group met the minimum adherence for shoe wear. Mean weekly shoe wear was 20 (7.6) and 21 (4.5) hours per week in the flat, flexible, and traditional shoe groups, respectively. CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that progression to a full-scale randomised controlled trial is feasible based on the current protocol. A full-scale randomised controlled trial powered to detect estimates of treatment efficacy using flat, flexible school shoes versus traditional school shoes is warranted and will guide evidence-based management of adolescent PFP.