An insight into the plantar pressure distribution of the foot in clinical practice: Narrative review

Abstract

In clinical practice and within the scope of research studies, foot pressure distribution as measured by plantar pressure analysis is widely used to diagnose foot pathologies. Although plantar pressure data have been recognized as an important element in the assessment of patients with various foot problems, an in-depth knowledge of the plantar pressure distribution of the foot is lacking in literatures. This article presents a review of literature on plantar pressure distribution and factors that may affect plantar pressure among patients with foot pathologies and healthy population. A literature search was conducted in Science Direct and PubMed databases for articles published from January 2000 to August 2012. Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) and other keywords for search were plantar pressure, age, body weight, gender, reliability, instrument and healthy subjects. This paper reviews on the factors influencing plantar pressure distribution. Factors such as the gender, age, body weight, foot type and footwear proved to have a significant effect on plantar pressure distribution of the foot. The paper also reports on the plantar pressure distribution of the foot and the reliability of the measurement. Studies were excluded from this narrative review if they did not meet the above criteria. This review has added sufficient knowledge on plantar pressure distribution of the foot in clinical practice. Data obtained from a plantar pressure distribution can be used by the physical therapist in the evaluation and management of patients with a wide variety of foot and lower extremity disorders.