Normative plantar pressure distribution in asymptomatic adult subjects: A pilot study

Abstract

A plantar pressure study that is independent of age, height, mass, and shoe size, and which contributes to a normative database has not yet been developed. Plantar pressure data have been recognized as an important element in the assessment of patients with neuromusculoskeletal disorders. A normative plantar pressure distribution data for asymptomatic adult individuals encompassing the major daily activities provides an important resource for understanding the biomechanics of such disorders. In this study, the plantar pressure history is gathered using a pedar-x (novel GmbH, Munich, Germany) in-shoe dynamic plantar pressure measurement system. Five daily activities have been performed, namely, normal walking, stair ascent and descent, and walking uphill and downhill. Two female subjects, presenting no distinctive disease symptoms, participated in this pilot study. The subjects have a mean age of 22 years, mean height of 159 centimeters, mean mass of 56 kilograms, and mean female foot size of 37. Variations in different parameters such as the average 3D pressure, trajectory of the locus of the center of pressure (COP), peak pressures, contact area, contact durations, and pressure-time integral, have been noticed from one activity to another. The results of this study are to form the foundation for obtaining normative data when gathered with a larger sample population. A normative database can be developed in the future for patients with specific disorders such as diabetes mellitus or patients with neuromusculoskeletal disorders. Such a database could lead to a better management of these disorders.