Impact of Sex and Velocity on Plantar Pressure Distribution during Gait: A Cross-Sectional Study Using an Instrumented Pressure-Sensitive Walkway.

In-shoe systems and pressure plates are used to assess plantar pressure during gait, but additional tools are employed to evaluate other gait parameters. The GAITRite® system is a clinical gait evaluation tool. Extensive literature is available for spatiotemporal parameters, but it is scarce for relative plantar pressure data. Therefore, we investigated whether, when controlling for age, the GAITRite® system is able to distinguish the effects of walking velocity on plantar pressure parameters in six plantar regions in a large sample of adults. Participants (83 women and 87 men, aged 18−85 years) walked at three self-selected velocities (slow, preferred, fast) on a 6-m long GAITRite® walkway. Relative peak pressure, pressure-time integral, peak time and contact area were computed for six zones (lateral and medial heel, mid- and forefoot). The impact of age (covariate), sex, side, velocity, pressure zone and their interactions on pressure variables was evaluated. Velocity affected peak pressure, pressure-time integral, peak time and contact area (p < 0.001). With increasing self-selected gait velocity, medial forefoot peak pressure and pressure-time integral increased (p < 0.001), while heel and lateral forefoot regions displayed a nonlinear plantar pressure evolution. These results suggest lower (heel strike) or more equally distributed (push-off) loads at preferred gait velocity.

Center of plantar pressure during gait in pregnancy-related pelvic girdle pain and the effect of pelvic belts.

PURPOSE: Many pregnant women suffer from pelvic girdle pain (PGP) during pregnancy. Etiologies are multifactorial and affect the joint stability of the sacroiliac joint. Pelvic belts could restore stability and reduce pain during gait. The center of pressure (COP) is a reliable parameter to assess gait and balance. The objectives of this study were to analyze the COP during gait in pregnant women with PGP, to evaluate the effect of pelvic belts and to compare two types of belts on COP parameters. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 46 pregnant women with PGP, 58 healthy pregnant women and 23 non-pregnant women participated in the study. The motor task consisted of three gait trials at different velocities on an electronic walkway. Two pelvic belts for pregnant women were used. An analysis of variance was performed to determine the effects of the progression of the pregnancy, gait speed, presence of pregnancy and occurrence of pain on the COP parameters. RESULTS: Compared to the control group, pregnant women with PGP had a higher stance time, but COP displacement and velocity were lower. The COP parameters varied between pregnant women with and without pelvic girdle pain, the use of a belt during pregnancy decreased the walking velocity. No difference was found according to the type of belt. CONCLUSIONS: Differences in COP parameters during gait between pregnant women with or without PGP were minimal. Pelvic girdle pain did not affect the center of pres- sure. Wearing a belt during pregnancy modified the center of pressure velocity during gait in pregnant women with PGP.

Pregnancy-related changes in center of pressure during gait.

PURPOSE: Physical and hormonal modifications occuring during the pregnancy, can lead to an increase in postural instability and to a higher risk of falls during gait. The first objective was to describe the center of pressure (COP) during late pregnancy at different gait velocity. Comparison of nulliparous women with postpartum women were conducted in order to investigate the effects of pregnancy. The second objective was to analyse COP variability between pregnant and non-pregnant women in order to investigate the effects of pregnancy on gait variability. METHODS: Fifty-eight pregnant women in the last four months of pregnancy, nine postpartum women and twenty-three healthy non-pregnant women performed gait trials at three different speeds: preferred, slow and fast. RESULTS: In the last four months of pregnancy gait velocity decreased. During the pregnancy, gait velocity decreased by 22%, stopover time increased by 6-12%, COP excursion XY decreased by 5% and COP velocity decreased by 16% and 20% along the anteroposterior and transverse axes, respectively. After delivery, gait velocity increased by 3% but remained a lower compared to non-pregnant women (-12%). Intra-individual variability was greater for non-pregnant than pregnant women. CONCLUSIONS: COP parameters were influenced by pregnancy. This suggests that pregnant women establish very specific and individual strategies with the aim of maintaining stability during gait.

Plantar Pressure During Gait in Pregnant Women.

BACKGROUND: During pregnancy, physical and hormonal modifications occur. Morphologic alterations of the feet are found. These observations can induce alterations in plantar pressure. This study sought to investigate plantar pressures during gait in the last 4 months of pregnancy and in the postpartum period. A comparison with nulliparous women was conducted to investigate plantar pressure modifications during pregnancy. METHODS: Fifty-eight women in the last 4 months of pregnancy, nine postpartum women, and 23 healthy nonpregnant women (control group) performed gait trials on an electronic walkway at preferred speeds. The results for the three groups were compared using analysis of variance. RESULTS: During pregnancy, peak pressure and contact area decreased for the forefoot and rearfoot. These parameters increased significantly for the midfoot. The gait strategy seemed to be lateralization of gait with an increased contact area of the lateral midfoot and both reduced pressure and a later peak time on the medial forefoot. In the postpartum group, footprint parameters were modified compared with the pregnant group, indicating a trend toward partial return to control values, although differences persisted between the postpartum and control groups. CONCLUSIONS: Pregnant women had altered plantar pressures during gait. These findings could define a specific pattern of gait footprints in late pregnancy because plantar pressures had characteristics that could maintain a stable and safe gait.