• 한국운동역학회지
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• 제26권1호
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• pp.115-126
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• 2016

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate plantar foot pressure and static balance according to the type of insole in the elderly. Methods: Thirteen elderly (mean age: $67.08{\pm}2.25years$, mean height: $159.63{\pm}9.64cm$, mean body weight: $61.48{\pm}9.06kg$) who had no previous injury experience in the lower limbs and a normal gait pattern participated in this study. Three models of insoles of the normal, 3D, and triangle types were selected for the test. The Pedar-X system and Pedar-X insoles, 3.3 km/h of walking speed, and a compilation of 20 steps walking stages were used to analyze foot-pressure distribution. Static balance test was conducted using Gaitview AFA-50, and balance (opening eyes, closing eyes) was inspected for 20 s. One-way ANOVA was conducted to test the significance of the results with the three insoles. p-value of less than .05 was considered statistically significant. Results: The mean foot pressure under the forefoot regions was the lowest with the 3D insole during treadmill walking (p<.05). The mean value under the midfoot was the highest with the 3D insole (left: p<.05, right: p<.01). The mean value under the rearfoot was the lowest with the 3D insole (p<.001). The maximum foot pressure value under the foot regions was the lowest on both sides of the forefoot with the 3D insole. A statistically significant difference was seen only in the left foot (p<.01). The maximum value under the midfoot was the highest with the 3D insole (p<.001). No statistically significant difference was detected on the values under the rearfoot. In the case of vertical ground reaction force (GRF), statistically significant difference was seen only in the left side rearfoot (p<.01). However, static balance values (ENV, REC, RMS, Total Length, Sway velocity, and Length/ENV) did not show significant differences by the type of insole. Conclusion: These results show that functional insoles can decrease plantar pressure and GRF under the forefoot and rearfoot. Moreover, functional insoles can dislodge the overload of the rearfoot and forefoot to the midfoot. However, functional insoles do not affect the static balance in the elderly.

• 한국운동역학회지
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• 제22권1호
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• pp.113-121
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• 2012

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of forefoot rocker shoes equipped with a metatarsal bar on lower extremity muscle activity and plantar pressure distribution. Ten healthy women in the age of twenties were participated in this study as the subjects. All subjects walked on a treadmill(Gait Trainer, BIODEX, USA) wearing normal shoes and metatarsal bar shoes, during which the plantar pressure distribution and muscle activity were measured. Using Pedar-X system(Novel Gmbh, Germany), the plantar pressure was measured for six regions of the foot: forefoot, midfoot, rearfoot, 1st metatarsal, 2-3th metatarsal, and 4-5th metatarsal, and for each sub-region, 4 features such as maximum force, contact area, peak pressure, and mean pressure were analyzed based on the plantar pressure. EMG(Electromyography) activity was measured by attaching surface electrodes to the rectus femoris, biceps femoris, tibialis anterior, and gastrocnemius medial head, and magnitude of muscle contraction was analyzed in IEMG(Integrated EMG) value. The results show that the maximum force, contact area, peak pressure, and mean pressure in the midfoot all increased while maximum force, peak pressure, contact area, mean pressure in the 1st metatarsal and 2-3th metatarsal all decreased when wearing functional shoes. Also, muscle activities in the four muscles were all decreased when wearing the functional shoes. This paper suggests that forfoot rocker shoes equipped with a metatarsal bar can help disperse the high pressure and absorb the shock to the foot as well as give positive influence on gait pattern and postural stability by reducing muscle fatigue during walking.

• Physical Therapy Rehabilitation Science
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• 제11권2호
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• pp.235-244
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• 2022

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate of the foot plantar pressure and usability after gait training using the ExoAtlet wearable exoskeleton robot in an incomplete spinal cord injury (SCI) patient. Design: A case study Methods: Six participants with an asymmetry in motor and sensory function completed the gait training using ExoAtlet wearable exoskeleton robot for 15 sessions, five per weeks, 3weeks. They were divided into two groups (low and high strength group) and group differences were evaluated about session at stating of gait, gait distance at final session and foot plantar pressures and useability after training. Results: Low strength group was faster than high strength group on adaptation of robot gait. And high strength group increased faster than low strength group on the gait distance during training. In standing and gait, weaker leg was higher than stronger leg on mean foot plantar pressure in low strength group. And stronger leg was higher than weaker leg on foot plantar pressure in high strength group. The length of the anterior-posterior trajectory of the center of pressure during gait was similar in low strength group, but different in high strength group. useability was positive about ExoAtlet wearable exoskeleton gait after training. Conclusions: ExoAtlet wearable exoskeleton robot gait training was positive about improving gait in all participants regardless of differences in severity of symptoms and gait abnormalities.

• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• 제22권1호
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• pp.47-51
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• 2010

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine whether there are any differences, with and without a toe spreader (TS), in dynamic foot pressure distribution in children with spastic diplegic cerebral palsy. Methods: Dynamic foot pressure recording using the RSscan system were obtained during walking in 12 participants (male=7, female=5) with and without TS. Mean force was measured for four different plantar regions; great toe, forefoot, midfoot, hindfoot. Displacement of center of pressure (COP), velocity of COP displacement and stance time were also measured during gait. Results: TS walking exhibited statistically significant decrease of mean force under great toe and forefoot (p<0.05), compared with a barefoot walking. Also, TS walking exhibited statistically significant increase of antero-posterior displacement of COP (p>0.05). Conclusion: These findings indicate the potential clinical utility of toe spreader to correct dynamic foot pressure during stance phase in children with spastic diplegic cerebral palsy.

• PNF and Movement
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• 제20권2호
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• pp.167-177
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• 2022

Purpose: Pes planus is a common foot deformity that involves the loss of the medial longitudinal arch. The medial longitudinal arch deformity is usually asymptomatic; however, it can lead to an increased risk of pain and injury. Low-Dye taping is designed to treat plantar heel pain and pes planus. However, low-Dye taping is relatively complex, and a considerable amount of time is required to apply the tape correctly. The purpose of this study was to compare the acute effect of two different types of taping (low-Dye taping and modified Mulligan taping) on arch reformation, plantar pressure, and gait characteristics in participants with asymptomatic flexible pes planus. Methods: Twenty subjects (9 males and 11 females; mean age = 21.95 years) with asymptomatic flexible pes planus voluntarily participated in this study. Arch reformation was evaluated using navicular height measurements. Changes in plantar pressure distribution were measured using BioRecue equipment. Gait parameters were measured using spatiotemporal data collected during consecutive gait cycles using a G-WALK device. One-way analysis of variance was used to compare the three different conditions (i.e., bare foot, low-Dye taping, and modified Mulligan taping) for each variable. Results: Navicular height was significantly increased in subjects who underwent the two types of taping compared to those who experienced the bare foot condition. The plantar pressure was significantly shifted to the posterolateral area after modified Mulligan taping compared with the bare foot condition. There were no significant differences in the gait parameters. Conclusion: The findings of this study indicate that modified Mulligan taping has a similar effect to low-Dye taping, and modified Mulligan taping is a simpler method than low-Dye taping.

• 대한족부족관절학회지
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• 제28권1호
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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.

• 한국운동역학회지
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• 제17권3호
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• pp.173-180
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• 2007

The purpose of study was to compare plantar pressure during walking wearing the curved rear balance and normal shoes. Twelve university students(height: $177.2{\pm}4.6cm$, weight: $68.4{\pm}5.8kg$, age: $26.2{\pm}1.6yrs.$) who have no known musculoskeletal disorders were recruited as the subjects. Plantar foot pressures were evaluated using the Tekscan's pressure measurement systems while subjects walked upright position wearing the curved rear balance and normal shoes in random order at a speed of 1.3 m/s. The contacting dimension, the mean plantar pressure, and the peak plantar pressure were determined for each trial. For each dependent variable, paired t-test was performed to test if significant difference existed between shoe conditions (p<.05). As a result, the curved rear balanced shoes showed as large as 38 up to 50 % of area at the rear side of feet than the normal shoes when measuring the contact area with upright position. In the distribution of average pressure, the curved rear balanced shoes displayed fairly low pressure compared to other normal shoes in general except for one area, which is M2, and especially, the measured pressures at the both rear (M1) and middle (M5) side of feet were low and statically significant. The contact area of the curved rear balanced shoes when walking was significantly larger at the rear (M1) and fore (M6, M7) side of feet. When considering pressure distribution at walking, low pressure was detected at the rear side of feet with the curved rear balanced shoes and at the fore side of feet for other normal shoes. The results showed that the contacting dimension of the curved rear balance shoes that acts between shoes and feet was higher than the corresponding value for the normal shoes in general; therefore it would reduce the pressure to the feet by allowing the each sole of the foot on the ground evenly.

• 로봇학회논문지
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• 제17권3호
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• pp.296-302
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• 2022

This paper proposes a center of plantar foot pressure (CoP) trajectory estimation method based on Gaussian process regression, with the aim to show robust results regardless of the regions and numbers of FSRs of the insole sensor. This method can bring an interpolation between the measurement points inside the wearable insole sensor, and two experiments are conducted for performance evaluation. For this purpose, the input data used in the experiment are generated in three types (13 FSRs, 8 FSRs, 5 FSRs) according to the regions and numbers of FSRs. First, the estimation results of the CoP trajectory are compared using Gaussian process regression and weighted mean. As a result of each method, the estimation results of the two methods were similar in the case of 13 FSRs data. On the other hand, in the case of the 8 and 5 FSRs data, the weighted mean varies depending on the regions and numbers of FSRs, but the estimation results of Gaussian process regression showed similar results in spite of reducing the regions and numbers. Second, the estimation results of the CoP trajectory based on Gaussian process regression during several gait cycles are analyzed. In five gait cycles, the previous cycle and the current estimation results are compared, and it was confirmed that similar trajectories appeared in all. In this way, the method of estimating the CoP trajectory based on Gaussian process regression showed robust results, and stability was confirmed by yielding similar results in several gait cycles.

• 한국운동역학회지
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• 제20권4호
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• pp.469-477
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• 2010

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of insole-equipped ankle-foot-orthoses (AFO) on gait. 10 healthy males who had no history of injury in the lower extremity participated in this study as the subjects. The foot of each subject was first scanned, and the insole fit to the plantar was made using BDI-PCO(Pedcad Gmbh, Germany). The subject then was made to walk on a treadmill under four experimental conditions: 1) normal walking, 2) walking wearing AFO, 3) walking wearing AFO equipped with the insole, 4) walking wearing pneumatic-ankle-foot-orthosis (pAFO) equipped with the insole. During walking, foot pressure data such as maximum force, contacting area, peak pressure, and mean pressure was collected using Pedar-X system (Novel Gmbh, Germany) and EMG activity of lower limb muscles such as gastrocnemius medial head, gastrocnemius lateral head, and soleus was recorded using MP150 EMG module (BIOPAC System Inc., USA). Collected data was then analyzed using paired t-test in order to investigate the effects of the insole. As a result of the analysis, when insole was equipped, overall contacting area was increased while both the highest peak pressure and the mean pressure were significantly decreased, and EMG activity of the lower limb muscles was decreased. On the contrary, the cases of wearing AFO showed the decreased contacting area and the increased pressures. Therefore, the AFO equipped with a proper insole fit well to the foot can help comfortable walking by spreading the pressure over the entire plantar.

• 한국산학기술학회논문지
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• 제20권12호
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• pp.224-229
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• 2019

본 연구는 고등학교 야구선수를 대상으로 신체정렬과 족저압 분포 분석하여 올바른 자세지도와 스포츠 손상 및 부상 예방 프로그램에 참고 자료를 제공하는데 그 목적이 있다. 연구 대상자 32명을 대상으로 실시하였다. 신체정렬은 척추에서 몸통의 좌우기울기, 등뼈의 뒤굽음각, 허리뼈의 앞굽음각, 골반에서는 골반의 기울기, 골반의 뒤틀림을 측정하였고 족저압은 각 발의 좌우 체중분포, 각 발의 최대압력을 측정하였다. 측정항목에 대한 평균과 표준편차를 산출하여 도표화하였고, 신체정렬과 족저압 분포의 상관관계를 알아보기 위해 pearson's cerrelation analysis를 사용하여 분석하였다. 모든 통계학적 유의 수준은 0.05로 설정하였다. 신체정렬과 족저압 분포 간의 상관관계를 분석한 결과 척추에서 허리뼈의 앞굽음각과 좌우 최대압력에서 양의 상관관계가 나타났다. 몸통의 좌우기울기, 등뼈의 뒤굽음각, 골반의 기울기, 골반의 뒤틀림과 각 발의 좌우 체중분포, 각 발의 최대압력에서는 상관관계가 나타나지 않았다. 본 연구를 통해 허리뼈의 앞굽음각이 증가될수록 발의 한쪽에 힘이 더 실리게 되어 최대압력이 증가하는 양의 상관관계를 나타내는 것을 알 수 있었다. 향후 운동선수들의 신체정렬과 족저압 분포에 대한 운동프로그램의 참고 자료가 될 것으로 사료된다.