Abstract
BackgroundPlantar pressure systems are increasingly being used to evaluate foot function in both research settings and in clinical practice. The purpose of this study was to investigate the reliability of the TekScan MatScan® system in assessing plantar forces and pressures during barefoot level walking.MethodsThirty participants were assessed for the reliability of measurements taken one week apart for the variables maximum force, peak pressure and average pressure. The following seven regions of the foot were investigated; heel, midfoot, 3rd-5th metatarsophalangeal joint, 2nd metatarsophalangeal joint, 1st metatarsophalangeal joint, hallux and the lesser toes.ResultsReliability was assessed using both the mean and the median values of three repeated trials. The system displayed moderate to good reliability of mean and median calculations for the three analysed variables across all seven regions, as indicated by intra-class correlation coefficients ranging from 0.44 to 0.95 for the mean and 0.54 to 0.97 for the median, and coefficients of variation ranging from 5 to 20% for the mean and 3 to 23% for the median. Selecting the median value of three repeated trials yielded slightly more reliable results than the mean.ConclusionsThese findings indicate that the TekScan MatScan® system demonstrates generally moderate to good reliability.
Highlights
Plantar pressure systems are increasingly being used to evaluate foot function in both research settings and in clinical practice
Elevated plantar pressures have been widely recognised as a causative factor in the development of several pedal pathologies, including the development of stress fractures
The primary aim of this study was to determine the reliability of the TekScan MatScan® system in assessing plantar forces and pressures during level barefoot walking using a test-retest analysis of thirty healthy asymptomatic participants
Summary
Plantar pressure systems are increasingly being used to evaluate foot function in both research settings and in clinical practice. The purpose of this study was to investigate the reliability of the TekScan MatScan® system in assessing plantar forces and pressures during barefoot level walking During functional activities such as walking, the human foot exerts a force upon the underlying surface, and in turn, a force of equal magnitude and opposite direction is exerted upon the foot. Technological advances in pressure-sensing technology, enabling the quantification of the vertical component of this force and the contact area at different regions under the foot, have become commercially available for research and clinical applications This has enabled further insight into the plantar loading characteristics of the foot during functional activities such as walking and running [3,4]. Footwear modifications [12] and redistributive insoles [13] aimed at offloading areas of high pressure prone to ulceration have been assessed for effectiveness in patients with diabetic peripheral neuropathy
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