‘A good fit?’
of research, and makes recommendations for
future research, particularly further research
beyond the clinical encounter.
The material highlighted in this narrative
review presents an overview of a number of
journal articles and previous studies reviewed
initially in 2015 as part of the literature review
for a project on footwear and identity. A second
‘sweep’ of relevant literature was undertaken in
2017 to identify any more recent developments
in this field. Papers were sourced through
Google Scholar and through searching specific
targeted health journals using keywords such
as ‘podiatry’, ‘identity’ and ‘concordance’.
Whilst 80 articles were reviewed as part of this
process, only the most relevant for elucidating
the synergies between footwear, identity and
sociological studies are included here.
Shoes, self and sociology
Embodied and everyday footwear practices
have been a relatively neglected area of
research in both sociological and health
contexts [10] . However, shoes are not ‘neutral’
objects, in fact they are likely to be ‘the single
most expensive item in people’s outfit’ [10] . Any
attempts to understand the relationship between
patients and their shoes in healthcare contexts
"Why do some patients disregard professional
advice about changing their footwear, despite
an awareness that certain shoes may exacerbate
existing conditions, limit mobility and even
increase the risk of further complications?"
Current Pedorthics | September/October 2018
27