Plantar pressure during gait: norm-referenced measurement for Brazilian healthy adults using the Footwork Pro System

• Autor(a) principal: Rogerio, Fernando Raphael Pinto Guedes
• Data de Publicação: 2022
• Outros Autores: Guedes, Dartagnan Pinto
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Fisioterapia em Movimento
• Texto Completo: https://periodicos.pucpr.br/fisio/article/view/29609

Introduction: The measurement of plantar pressure is an important component in the evaluation of the locomotive system. However, the absence of norm-referenced measurement poses limitations to its use. Objective: To verify the influence of gender on plantar pressure during gait in healthy adults and to propose norm-referenced measurement that may be used as a reference for monitoring. Methods: The study included 353 healthy participants (158 females and 195 males), aged between 20 and 64 years, and with a normal foot posture. Using a pressure platform, the peak plantar pressure and pressure-time integrals were measured in three areas of the foot: forefoot, midfoot, and hindfoot. Results: Both indicators of plantar pressure showed no significant differences between genders (p ≤ 0.05). Higher peak plantar pressure was found in the forefoot region, while a higher pressure-time integral was found in the hindfoot region. Percentile distribution values were made available for the data set of females and males. Conclusion: The available norm-referenced measurement may be used to identify pathological gait parameters, monitor the efficacy of therapeutic interventions, and detect individuals in need of referral for a more sophisticated and detailed evaluation.