• Archives of Reconstructive Microsurgery
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.110-113
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• 2000

The reconstruction of soft tissue defects of the sole requires to stand the force of weight bearing, provide sensation and adequacy for normal foot-wear. Although certain local flaps have been described and used for resurfacing the foot, extensive injury requires distant or free flaps for coverage. There is no doubt that the ideal tissue for resurfacing the sole is the plantar tissue itself. The specialized dermal-epidermal histology and fibrous septa of the subcutaneous layer gives its unique property to stand the pressure and to absorb the shock upon gait. This paper presents a case of reconstructing the sole that involves about 70% of the weight bearing portion. The combined medial plantar and dorsalis pedis chimeric free flap based on the medial plantar artery and medial plantar nerve adds another dimension in resurfacing the weight bearing sole of moderate to large sized defects.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.31 no.11
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• pp.1115-1123
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• 2007

The foot plays an important role in supporting the body and keeping body balance. An abnormal walking habit breaks the balance of the human body as well as the function of the foot. The foot orthotics which is designed to consider biomechanics effectively distributes the load of the human body on the sole of the foot. In this paper, gait analysis was performed for three male subjects wearing the orthotics. In this study, three male subjects were selected. The experimental apparatus consists of a plantar pressure analysis system and digital EMG system. The gait characteristics are simulated by ADAMS/LifeMOD. The COP (Center of Pressure), EMG and ground reaction force were investigated. As a result of gait analysis, the path of COP was improved and muscle activities were decreased with orthotics on the abnormal walking subjects.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.341-348
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• 2017

This study examined the effects of the location and direction of the scolioti curve on postural balance in patients with idiopathic scoliosis. Fifteen subjects were divided into three groups: right thoracic curve group, left lumbar curve group, and double curve group. The dynamic trunk motion (angle variation in the lumbar, thoracolumbar, lower thoracic and upper thoracic region) and plantar pressure distribution (maximum force and peak pressure) were assessed using an ultrasound-based motion analysis system and Emed-at platform system. From the results, it was confirmed that patients with idiopathic scoliosis showed postural imbalance with an increased angle and pressure asymmetry according to the location and direction of the scoliotic curve for dynamic trunk motion and plantar pressure distribution. In addition, there were differences in the postural balance pattern between the single curve and double curve groups. Further studies for developing a rehabilitation training device will be conducted to improve the postural control ability and trunk balance as well as treat scoliosis based on the results of this study.

• Korean Journal of Applied Biomechanics
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.189-198
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• 2021

Objective: The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of biomechanical variables on gait according to indoor and outdoor environmental conditions in elderly women at risk of falling. Method: 26 elderly women aged 70 years or older, and consisted of 13 elderly people with a walking speed of less 1.0 m/s and 13 people in the fall risk group as normal groups. Depending on the purpose of the study, physical examination and psychological questionnaire were prepared, and then walking was performed in an indoor/outdoor environment, and the gait pattern, muscle activity, and plantar pressure results were compared and analyzed in the elderly females through a 2 group × 2 environment 2-way repeted ANOVA analysis. Results: The gait variable showed an interaction effect the cadence. The muscle variables showed interaction effects in the rectus femoris and tibialis anterior muscles, and the interaction effects of the plantar pressure variables were confirmed in the forefoot and midfoot of the contact area, and the midfoot of the mean pressure. Conclusion: These results indicate that both groups are exposed to falls risk when gait in an outdoor environment, but the fall risk group has a higher risk of falls in both the gait pattern, muscle activity, and plantar pressure variables. The results of this study are considered to be helpful as basic data and development of exercise programs to prevent falls.

• Korean Journal of Applied Biomechanics
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• v.26 no.1
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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.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.36 no.8
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• pp.913-920
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• 2012

An efficient 3D finite element walking model that considers the detailed shapes of muscles, ligaments, bones, skin, and soles was developed based on a real computed tomography (CT) scan image of a foot, and nonlinear contact analyses were performed to investigate pressure changes. The highest pressure occurs at the rear bottom of the foot when standing and walking. The pressure on the outsole with a curved foot bottom surface is lessened and distributed over a wider area than in the case of a flat outsole. The result shows that a shoe sole shape optimized for diabetes patients can relieve the foot pressure concentration and prevent further worsening of symptoms.

• Proceedings of the KOSOMBE Conference
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• v.1997 no.11
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• pp.369-372
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• 1997

Socket pressure distributions with gait analyses of a transfemoral and a transtibial prostheses were measured in order to assess an optimal socket fitting and unction. Ankle joint was aligned by the neutral and the dorsi/plantar flexed positions. Compared to dorsi and plantar flexed positions of ankle joint, cadence and walking speed increased with the neutral ankle joint alignment. Other gait parameters were close to the normative data with the neutral ankle joint alignment. For the transfemoral amputee, dorsiflexed alignment of the ankle joint created high pressure on the lateral aspect of the socket, on the other hand, plantarflexed alignment resulted in increased pressure on the medial aspect of the socket. For the transtibial amputee, dorsiflexed alignment of the ankle resulted in high pressure on the antero-lateral aspect of the socket during mid-stance, but plantarflexion of the ankle joint showed slight increases in pressure at the same location in the socket. The present study clearly demonstrated that malalignment of a prosthesis results in localized increasing pressure within the socket. Proper alignment of the prosthesis is required in order to acquire an appropriate socket-limb interface as well as the proper gait.

• PNF and Movement
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.23-30
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• 2024

Purpose: Ankle instability is a common issue in both daily activities and sports, often leading to recurrent injuries. Elastic taping is a non-pharmacological intervention used to improve ankle stability. This study aimed to investigate the immediate effects of elastic taping on ankle stability, center of pressure (COP) movement, and foot pressure distribution. Methods: A single-group pre-posttest design was employed, with 30 participants included in the study. Plantar pressure and COP parameters were measured before and after the application of elastic taping. Taping was administered in three distinct patterns to enhance ankle stability. Results: Immediate effects of elastic taping were evident in COP parameters. Following taping application, there was a significant decrease in COP total displacement, COP area, and COP velocity. However, no significant changes were observed in plantar pressure parameters. Conclusion: The application of elastic taping in this study demonstrated immediate effects on ankle stability and COP parameters, indicating its potential as a viable intervention for improving balance. Further research with larger sample sizes and long-term follow-up is needed to elucidate the sustained effects of elastic taping on ankle stability.

• Journal of the Korea Society of Computer and Information
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.55-60
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• 2021

This study aims to investigate the effects of 4 weeks visual biofeedback training on the knee joint angle and muscle activities of lower extremity. The participants in this study were 15 volunteers with hyperextended knee. To improve the hyperextended knee, visual biofeedback training was used during 4 weeks. The training is an exercise to maintain the balance between the anterior weight bearing and posterior weight bearing of the plantar foot. The knee joint angle significantly increased and the muscle activity of tibialis anterior was significantly decreased after visual biofeedback training. It was confirmed that visual biofeedback training of correcting hyperextended knee through the information on the plantar pressure distribution has a therapeutic effect.

• 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.