The Effects of Foot Structures on Plantar Pressure Characteristics in Overweight Girls ‎Aged 10-13 Years During Walking‎

Differences in foot structure are thought to be associated with differences in foot function during movement. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of foot structure on plantar pressure characteristics in overweight girl children aged 10-13 years during walking.

Thirty-six overweight girls with pes planus, pes cavus and normal feet structures participated in this study. The plantar pressure characteristics of the subjects were measured using the foot-scan system while walking on a 14-meter gait-way at a self-selected speed. Peak plantar pressure, time to reach the peak pressure, percentage of the plantar contact area and impulse were measured. MANOVA and Bonferroni post hoc test were used for statistical analyses at a significance level of 0.05.

The mean peak pressure of the left foot of the pes cavus group under the hallux (12.47) was greater than that of the normal (7.93) and pes planus (7.49) groups (p=0.035). The mean impulse underneath the 2-5 toes zone of the right foot of normal (0.86) group was greater than pes planus (0.49) group (p=0.008). The mean impulse also was greater under the hallux zone of the left foot among pes cavus group (2.61) than those in normal (0.89) and pes planus (0.88) groups (0.045).

Despite the existence of minor differences; in general, the results of this study did not show a significant alteration in plantar pressure characteristics among overweight children with different foot structures during walking.