The Changes of Plantar Pressure and Pathway of Center of Pressure in Foot during the Gait in Normal Preschool Children with Age

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To find out the changes of the plantar pressure distribution of foot and the pathway of center of pressure (COP) in normal preschool children with age. METHOD: Thirty-eight normal children aged 1 to 6 were participated in this study. We divided into three groups according to the age. Foot contact area, pressure of the foot and pathway of COP were measured using F-scan in-shoe measuring system (Tekscan Inc.) during the gait. RESULTS: The ratio of midfoot contact width to forefoot contact width was decreased with age (p<0.05). And the relative pressure of the medial midfoot was decreased with age (p<0.05). In the analysis of COP, the ratio of anteroposterior length of COP to total contact length was significantly increased (p<0.05), and the ratio of mediolateral width of COP to forefoot contact width was tend to decrease. CONCLUSION: We can identify the characteristics and changes of the foot pressure distribution and the pathway of COP in preschool children with normal foot using F-scan system. These quantitative data of foot scan are useful for evaluating the foot pathology in preschool children during the gait.