• Korean Journal of Applied Biomechanics
• /
• v.19 no.2
• /
• pp.237-244
• /
• 2009

The purpose of this study was to investigate the changing plantar foot pressure and muscle activation of neck, lumbar and low limb by different way of the using carrier during walking. Twenty healthy and young females who brought up infants and had no musculoskeletal disorders of neck, lumbar and low limb were instructed to perform plantar foot pressure and muscle activation of neck, lumbar and low limb during different ways of the using the carrier and walking. Plantar foot pressures were recorded by RS-scan system(RS scan Ltd, German), muscle activation were recorded by ProComp infinitiTM(Thought Technology Ltd, Canada). The data collected by each way of the using carrier and One-way ANOVA was used to analyze. The results indicated that there was a significant increase on erector spinae muscle activation and pressure of great toe zone by using anterior carrier and there was a increase on activation of paraspinal muscle and metatarsal zone by using posterior carrier. Therefore, the way of using carrier could be influenced upon structure and function of the foot and muscle activation.

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

• Korean Journal of Applied Biomechanics
• /
• v.14 no.2
• /
• pp.105-119
• /
• 2004

To enhance our understanding of the loads on the foot during treadmill running, we have used a pressure-sensitive insole system to determine pressure, rate of loading and impulse distributions on the plantar surface during treadmill running, both in minimally cushioned footwear and in cushioned shoes. This report includes pressure, rate of loading, impulse and contact time data from a study of ten subjects running on a treadmill at 4.0m/s. Among heel-toe runners, the highest peak pressures and highest rates of loading were observed under the centre of the heel and in the medial forefoot. The arch regions were only lightly loaded. Contact time was greater in the forefoot than in the heel. Two-thirds of the impulse recorded during the step was the result of forces applied through the forefoot, mostly in the region of the metatarsal heads. The distribution of loads in the shoe suggests that the load distributing properties of the cushioning system are most important in the centre of the heel, under the metatarsal heads and great toe. Shock attenuation is primarily required under the centre of the heel and to lesser extent under the metatarsal heads. Some energy dissipation may be desirable in the heel region because it causes shock to be absorbed with less force. All the 'propulsive' effort is applied through the forefoot. Therefore, this region should as resilient as possible.

• Korean Journal of Applied Biomechanics
• /
• v.20 no.4
• /
• pp.469-477
• /
• 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.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Integrative Medicine
• /
• v.4 no.4
• /
• pp.21-32
• /
• 2016

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify whether task-related circuit exercise program combined with sensorimotor training for 4 weeks could improve the balance and gait in stroke patients. Method: Fifteen stroke patients who had agreed with the study were randomly divided into 3 groups categorized as task-related circuit exercise program combined with sensorimotor training group (experimental group 1, n=5), task-related circuit exercise program group (experimental group 2, n=5), and control subjects performed conventional physical therapy (control group, n=5). The balance and gait were assessed by BT-4 force platform system, Berg Balance Scale, 10meter Walk Test and Smart Step at before training and after training. Wilcoxon signed rank test was used to analyze change before and after intervention in intra-group. Kruskal Wallis H test, Mann-Whitney U test and Bonfferoni correction were used to analyze changes of all variables in inter-groups. Result: The experimental group 1 showed significant improvements in postural sway area, BBS scores, walking velocity and plantar pressures of affected foot, whereas the experimental group 2 showed significant improvements in BBS scores, and the control group were no significantly different in all variables following training. The changes of postural sway area and BBS scores in the experimental group 1 were significantly greater than them of the control group. The changes of postural sway area in the experimental group 1 was significantly greater than that of the experimental group 2. Conclusion: The result of this study suggest the task-related circuit exercise program combined with sensorimotor training is an effective intervention to improve balance and gait in stoke patients.