What principle does a gait analysis pressure platform use to evaluate flat feet?

The main characteristic of flat feet is the obvious collapse of the foot arch, and the pressure on the arch part is much greater than that of normal feet.

Especially the pressure in the calcaneus heel area is high, and the pressure in the medial longitudinal arch area is significantly increased; in addition, the pressure of the forefoot is also high, especially the medial ball.

In severe flat feet, the collapsed foot arch almost completely touches the ground.

Generally, flat feet are evaluated mainly by calculating the Arch Index (AI), where Arch Index (AI) = midfoot pressure area ÷ total foot area.

The larger the AI value, the lower the foot arch, and the greater the probability of flat feet.

Of course, the measured data is compared with normal data, and there are scientifically objective, industry-recognized reference standards.

The gait analysis pressure platform is a device for measuring plantar pressure distribution, which mainly uses piezoresistive/piezoelectric/capacitive sensors to sense the plantar pressure distribution in various areas of the human foot during static standing or walking.

The resolution of the gait analysis pressure platform is mainly the sensing unit per square centimeter; the higher the precision, the more finely it can capture plantar pressure abnormalities.

After measuring the plantar pressure, the gait analysis pressure platform visualizes the measured data in the computer software and generates a pressure distribution map, where the red area indicates a high-pressure area, the green area indicates a medium-pressure area, and the blue area indicates a low-pressure area.

Through the pressure color distribution in the measurement report, we can also understand our plantar pressure distribution and judge the collapse condition of the foot arch.

In addition, the measurement report also evaluates the specific severity of flat feet based on the Arch Index.

The severity of foot varus, foot valgus, and flat feet can also be judged through pressure curve analysis.

Of course, there are also multiple styles of plantar pressure plates on the current market, and different styles can be applied to different application scenarios.

The main differences are the different sizes and lengths of the pressure plates, the different densities of sensing points, the different numbers of sensing points, and so on.

The higher the density of sensing points, the higher the precision, the more accurate the measured pressure values, and the more objectively it can judge our foot health condition.

Gait analysis pressure platforms are commonly applied in rehabilitation medicine, foot screening, custom insole and custom shoe making, and the design and manufacturing of corrective aids.