What causes high arches, and how do plantar pressure analyzers evaluate them?

High arches, a very common foot deformity, belongs to the category of abnormally elevated arches.

High arches generally refer to the abnormal prominence of the medial longitudinal arch of the foot, and in severe cases, it will lead to a significant reduction in the plantar weight-bearing area.

High arches are classified into mild, moderate, and severe degrees; mild cases can generally be alleviated through customized shock-absorbing insoles and orthopedic shoes, while moderate to severe high arches may also require targeted stretching exercises and relevant aids, or even surgery, to be improved.

There are generally two types of causes for high arches: congenital and acquired.

Congenital causes include genetic factors and abnormalities in foot bone development during the growth process.

Acquired causes generally refer to neuromuscular system diseases, where muscle imbalance in the foot leads to arch changes, including those caused by trauma or poor lifestyle habits, and also include those indirectly triggered by other diseases, such as sequelae of poliomyelitis.

The plantar pressure analyzer mainly uses the principle of pressure sensors to collect plantar pressure distribution data, acquire plantar pressure heat maps, and generate corresponding evaluation reports.

Plantar pressure analysis belongs to dynamic or static measurement, which will not cause physical injury, and the measured data is more objective and accurate, avoiding large errors or even mistakes caused by human observation.

During measurement, one only needs to stand or walk onto the testing platform, keep the body relaxed and natural, and measure according to screen prompts; the entire measurement process takes only a few seconds to complete the measurement of both feet and obtain a graphical pressure report and raw data in formats such as CSV.

Among them, the method for judging whether it is high arches is as follows:

Judgment is made through the Arch Index, or AI.

AI = Midfoot contact area ÷ Total plantar area of the whole foot.

When AI < 0.21, it is judged as high arches.

When the AI value is between 0.21 and 0.26, it is judged as normal feet.

When the AI value is between 0.26 and 0.30, it is judged as mild flexible flat feet.

When the AI value > 0.3, it is judged as moderate to severe flat feet; this situation is likely rigid flat feet.

Compared with traditional judgment methods like the footprint method, the plantar pressure analyzer has precise data, making the judgment more scientific, more accurate, and more convincing.

In addition, the measured data such as pressure distribution can also be applied to the design and production of orthotic insoles, and can also be used for applications such as gait analysis.