• Korean Journal of Applied Biomechanics
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.231-241
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• 2011

The purpose of this study was to analyze the distribution of foot pressure generated by active materials of a functional insole. Comfort is an important consideration while selectingfootwear and insoles. Consequently, it has an influence on injury. The development of new materials for functional insoles is considered one of the more important points for their manufacture. The method adopted in this study is as follows. First, ten healthy males were selected as subjects for the study. Each subject's foof was pre-screened podoscope(Alfoots, Korea) to check for the presence of any foot abnormalities, Two kinds of equipment were used for the study: a foot pressure device from Pedar-X, Germany, and a treadmill from Pulsefitness, UK. Next, each subject was asked to test four types of insoles(insoles of outdoor shoes, indoor shoes, walking shoes, and sports shoes) via walking trials on the treadmill at a constant speed of 4.2 km/h. The pressure distribution data(contact area, maximum force, maximum peak pressure, and maximum mean pressure) was collected using the pressure device at a sampling rate of 100 Hz. Results of the tests showed that all four types of functional insoles increased contact areas whit the foot. Further, functional insoles of walking shoes and sport shoes decreased the foot pressure. From these results, we conclude that the active materials of functional insoles of shoes can increase the contact area and provide greater comfort.

• Journal of Korean Physical Therapy Science
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.81-85
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• 2011

Purpose : The purpose of this study was to investigate the changing plantar foot pressure by the backpack load of 0, 10, 15, and 20% of their body weight while level walking in flat foot and so to recommend suitable backpack weight limitations for flat foot subjects. Method : 14 young flat foot subjects($24.29{\pm}2.16yrs$) participated in this study. the subjects were assigned to carry backpack load and there was four level walking modes : (1) unloaded walking(0%), (2) 10% body weight(BW) load, (3) 15% BW load and (4) 20% BW load. Repeated ANOVA was used to compare each region data of foot according to different backpack weight. Results : As backpack load became increased, the contact area of midfoot was significantly increased, and contact area of forefoot and rearfoot were significantly decreased. maximum pressure at each region during walking tended to be greater as the load increased, but a significant difference was found only for the heel medial and lateral regions Conclusion : Based on this data, the weight of backpack could influenced structure and function of the foot in flat foot.

• PNF and Movement
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.233-242
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• 2021

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the changes in foot contact area and pressure when walking with a functional insole that emphasizes the Hallux point as compared to a general insole. Methods: In this study, an experiment was conducted to investigate changes in plantar pressure and contact area for a functional insole that emphasized the Hallux point as compared to a general insole. A lower extremity robot was used for walking reproduction. First, the gait sequence according to the two insoles was determined through a randomized controlled trial comparison. According to the sequence procedure, the insole was attached to the shoe and then worn on the right side of the lower extremity robot for gait reproduction at a normal gait speed of 20 steps per minute. After programming the robot to walk, the experiment was carried out. The result value was determined by averaging the pressure and area data of the fore and rear foot measures after walking at 20 steps per minute. Results: The functional insole that emphasized the hallux point significantly increased the forefoot and rearfoot contact area (p < 0.05) and significantly decreased the forefoot and rearfoot contact pressure (p < 0.05) compared to the general insole. Conclusion: A functional insole that emphasizes the hallux point does not collapse the medial longitudinal arch during gait, increasing foot stability and reducing fatigue. Thus, this functional insole needs to be widely used clinically.

• Journal of Korean Foot and Ankle Society
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.5-10
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• 2010

Purpose: This study was performed to compare the contact area between three different correcting angles after the proximal crescentic and Ludloff osteotomies of the first metatarsal. Materials and Methods: We used the two sawbone models. Proximal crescentic (PCO) and Ludloff osteotomies (LO) were performed and secured using K-wires under the correcting intermetatarsal angle (IMA) $5^{\circ}$, $10^{\circ}$, and $15^{\circ}$. Then each 6 osteotomized model was scanned five times and measured the contact area using the calculating program. We excluded the highest and lowest values. Results: The mean area of cutting surface was 189 $mm^2$ in PCO, 863 $mm^2$ in LO. The mean contact area (contact ratio; contact area $\times$100/area of cutting surface) of PCO was 149 $mm^2$ (79%) in $5^{\circ}$, 139.5 $mm^2$ (74%) in $10^{\circ}$, 107 $mm^2$ (57%) in $15^{\circ}$ IMA. The mean contact area (contact ratio) of LO was 711 $mm^2$ (82%) in $5^{\circ}$, 535.5 $mm^2$ (62%) in $10^{\circ}$, 330 $mm^2$ (38%) in $15^{\circ}$ IMA. Conclusion: A significant decrease in the contact area and contact ratio according to increase in correcting IMA was noticed in LO. We recommend the PCO rather than LO, when the IMA is needed to correct over $15^{\circ}$.

• Journal of Korean Foot and Ankle Society
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.21-26
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• 2024

Purpose: Foot pressure measurement devices are used widely in clinical settings for plantar pressure assessments. Despite the availability of various devices, studies evaluating the inter-device reliability are limited. This study compared plantar pressure measurements obtained from HR Mat (Tekscan Inc.) and EMED-n50 (Novel GmbH). Materials and Methods: The study involved 38 healthy male volunteers. The participants were categorized into two groups based on the Meary's angle in standing foot lateral radiographs: those with normal feet (angles ranging from -4° to 4°) and those with mild flatfeet (angles from -8° to -15°). The static and dynamic plantar pressures of the participants were measured using HR Mat and EMED-n50. The reliability of the contact area and mean force was assessed using the interclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Furthermore, the differences in measurements between the two devices were examined, considering the presence of mild flatfoot. Results: The ICC values for the contact area and mean force ranged from 0.703 to 0.947, indicating good-to-excellent reliability across all areas. EMED-n50 tended to record higher contact areas than HR Mat. The mean force was significantly higher in the forefoot region when measured with EMED-n50, whereas, in the hindfoot region, this difference was observed only during static measurements with HR Mat. Participants with mild flatfeet exhibited significantly higher contact areas in the midfoot region for both devices, with no consistent differences in the other parameters. Conclusion: The contact area and mean force measurements of the HR Mat and EMED-n50 showed high reliability. On the other hand, EMED-n50 tended to record higher contact areas than HR Mat. In cases of mild flatfoot, an increase in contact area within the midfoot region was observed, but no consistent impact on the differences between the two devices was evident.

• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.49-53
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• 2010

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the plantar pressure distribution between the affected and unaffected side in adult hemiplegia during gait with the use of a quad-cane. Methods: Thirty-four stroke patients from 34 to 83 years of age were enrolled in this study, and in random order, all patients were asked to walk at their most comfortable speed three times along a walkway with the use of quad-cane over a period of three days. Plantar pressure distribution was measured with regard to foot contact pattern and center of pressure (CoP) trajectories during the stance phase, progressing from heel-strike to toe-off. The F-scan system was used to compare the foot pressure of the affected and unaffected sides. Results: A significant reduction in the total contact area, the width of fore foot (FF) and hind foot (HF), and anterior/posterior (AP) CoP trajectory of the affected side was found. However, contact pressure of the hind foot on the affected side during walking increased when compared to that on the unaffected side. Conclusion: We demonstrated that plantar pressure distribution on the affected side of adult hemiplegia patients was generally poorer than that on the unaffected side when these patients walked with cane assistance. However, the use of a quad-cane was shown to increase contact pressure of the hind foot on the affected side because weight can be borne on the affected side during heel-strike with use of the cane.

• Korean Journal of Applied Biomechanics
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.45-54
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• 2018

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of foot strengthening exercise program and functional insoles on joint angle and plantar pressure in elderly women. Thirteen elderly women who were enrolled in a university senior citizens academy of a metropolitan city in 2017 were divided into two groups: exercise group with functional insole (n=7) and exercise group without functional insole (n=6). Method: Three-dimensional motion analysis and Pedar-X were performed to compute the joint angle and the foot plantar pressure, respectively. Two-way repeated measure ANOVA was conducted to compare dependent variables within and between groups. The significance level was set at ${\alpha}=.05$. Results: The range of motion (ROM) of the ankle, knee, and hip joints in the exercise group with functional insole increased significantly more than the exercise group without functional insole. In both the experimental group and the comparison group, the maximum foot plantar pressure and the mean foot plantar pressure were decreased, but the comparison group without functional insole showed more decrease. Since the experimental group demonstrated greater pressure than the comparison group in the contact area (forefoot, midfoot), it was distributed over a greater area. Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that participation in foot strengthening exercises and using a functional insole has more positive effects than foot strengthening exercises alone on the joint angle and plantar pressure in elderly women. Increased foot plantar pressure led to an increased contact area (forefoot, midfoot) for distribution of the foot plantar pressure, but the effect of reducing the maximum and average plantar pressures was incomplete. However, wearing functional insoles along with exercise, could help in improving the stability of the joints, by increasing the range of motion, and could help the elderly in movement of the muscles more effectively, leading to an improvement in gait function.

• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.39-48
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• 2004

In terms of women engaged in clerical job. working time of the workers who mainly keep standing with their high-heeled shoes on has been increasing. According]y. they are exposed to many kinds of foot deformation caused by loads of lower back and lower extremities due to high-heeled shoes. The type of heels they usually wear are diverse though the hight is same. In this study. we investigated most women's favorite styles of shoes concerned with heights. types and contact areas of the heels. Hence. we designed three kinds of shoes for an experiment: their contact areas with ground are 1 cm2. 2-4 cm2 and over 9 cm2 according to the heel heights. respectively. To investigate the biomechanical effects. analysis of motion and EMG were applied to the experiments. In addition. foot pressure distribution was measured for more detailed analysis. Six healthy young women were participated in this experiments. The result showed the heel becoming higher and narrower increased not only fluctuation of CBM(Center of Body Mass). but also the load of low back muscle and lower extremities. Accordingly. there was significant difference among types of the heel in terms of the role supporting load of the body. though the height is same. Especially. the difference among the pressures on a foot was most significant. In conclusion. we verified biomechanical effects are related with the contact area of a heel with ground as well as the hight.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Physical Medicine
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• v.5 no.4
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• pp.543-549
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• 2010

Purpose : The study was designed to investigate the changes of plantar foot pressure by different loads during walking in flatfoot. Methods : Fifteen subjects with flatfoot were recruited along with their written informed consent. They were asked to walk on plate at a self-selected and comfortable speed with loads of 0, 5, 10, and 15kg. Three walking trials were obtained and then averaged for data analysis. Foot pressure were measured from RS-Scan system (RS-Scan system, RS scan Ltd., German) and contact area, maximum force were analyzed. Results : There were significant increases on midfoot and decreases on forefoot in contact area. And there were significant increases in maximum force of foot pressure of 2nd metatarsal bone and midfoot. Conclusion : These findings revealed that flatfoot increases risk factors of metatarsal bone with different loads. Therefore, patients of flatfoot must be careful during walking with loads or activities of daily living.

• Korean Journal of Applied Biomechanics
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.19-26
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• 2014

This study investigated foot pressure patterns between experienced skiers and intermediate skiers during alpine skiing. Five experienced skiers and five intermediate skiers participated in this study. Foot pressure measurement system was used to measure vertical ground reaction force (vGRF) and contact area under the six plantar regions. Each participant was asked to perform basic parallel turns and carved turns on a $18^{\circ}$ groomed slope. Each right turn was divided into the initiation phase, the steering phase 1 and 2. For the initiation phase of the basic parallel turns, significantly greater contact area was found on the LRF and RRF of the intermediate skiers (p<.05) and significantly greater vGRF was found on the LRF of the intermediate skiers (p<.05). Also significantly greater vGRF and contact area were found on the LRF and RRF of the intermediate skiers at the steering phase 1 (p<.05) and on the LRF of the intermediate skiers at the steering phase 2 (p<.05). For the carved turns, significantly greater vGRF and contact area were found on the LRF and RRF of the intermediate skiers at all three phase (p<.05). On the other hand, significantly greater vGRF was found on the RFF of the experienced skiers at the steering phase 1 (p<.05). Also significantly greater vGRF and contact area were found on the RMF of the experienced skiers at the steering phase 2 (p<.05). In order to increase performance, we suggest that the intermediate skiers should be unweighted at the initiation phase and shift the body weight to the forefoot of the outer foot at the steering phase 1. Also, the outer ski should be loaded more than the both skis at the steering phase 1 and 2.