Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
change in human locomotion tending to a vertical position supported mainly on two
limbs - lower limbs. This transformation led to a derived species known as the
“Homo Erectus” which still presented a big head and therefore a curved spine and
long upper limbs, in spite of already showing some intelligence.
Nowadays, human species presents morphology very similar to Homo Sapiens
Sapiens, where locomotion is definitely supported by lower limbs. It is undeniable
that in our species, and since early stages of birth, the foot is the sole support of
the human body, being therefore crucial for human balance. When children learn to
walk, their balance is critical as the whole body is still adapting and perfecting to
the new position according to body weight, height, physiology and bone structure.
Therefore, as the body grows and turns into an adult, a good skeletal structure,
associated to efficient muscles and good physiological conditions are necessary to
prevent injuries resulting from external unforeseen loads or impacts on the human
body.
In medicine, it is well known that diseases like peripheral neuropathy, diabetic
neuropathy, osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis, poliomyelitis, cerebrovascular
accident, among others, or even a prolonged immobilization, can affect human
locomotion, either by affecting different parts of the nervous system or the muscular
system. Plantar force measurement is an important technique helping the physician
or doctor performing a reliable diagnosis.
For example, for patients with peripheral or diabetic neuropathy, lower limbs
sensitivity is reduced leading to an higher probability of developing ulcers. Using
plantar pressure profile measurement during gait as a prevention method, abnormal
high pressures will be detected, allowing for ulcer prevention [
3
]. This information
also plays an important role in cases of musculoskeletal deformities or pathologies,
like supination or pronation, flatfoot, since pressure distributions can help designing
appropriate shoes or orthosis for normal people or people with impairments [
11
,
28
].
By redistributing loads in the plantar surface, these hyper-pressures are acted upon
and therefore an adequate gait profile can be achieved. Also, in cases of severe joint
or bones malformations, a surgical procedure can be prepared taking into account
this information [
7
]. On the other hand, not only the absolute values are important,
but also the profile itself. In rehabilitation, plantar pressures measurements are
used to assess the efficiency and adequacy of lower limbs prostheses or orthoses,
or even to evaluate the results of an hip implant, by evaluating the changes in
gait [
38
,
39
].
Any abnormal gait profile allows identifying probable causes, instead of acting
only on the consequence as stated before. In sports like long or high jumps, during
training of high performance athletes, it is important to measure plantar pressures
distributions mainly during the last support phase, just before propulsion, which
will allow adjusting the athletes' performance to the shoes or pavement conditions,
in order to achieve a better jump. Also, in fencing, shoes can affect the athletes'
performance, due to fast movements and rapid changes in direction involved in this
sport [
19
].
