Effects of walking speed and slope on pedobarographic findings in young healthy adults

Abstract

Background This study aimed to investigate the effects of walking speed and slope on foot pressure changes in young healthy adults. Methods Twenty young healthy adults (mean age 22.4 years, SD 1.2 years; 10 male and 10 female) participated in the study. Dynamic pedobarographic data during treadmill walking were obtained for combinations of three different walking speeds (3.2 km/hr, 4.3 km/hr, and 5.4 km/hr) and 5 different slopes (downhill 8 degrees, downhill 4 degrees, ground walking (0 degree), uphill 4 degrees, and uphill 8 degrees). Pedobarographic data such as the peak pressure and pressure–time integral were measured on five plantar segments: medial forefoot (MFF), lateral forefoot (LFF), medial midfoot (MMF), lateral midfoot (LMF), and heel. Maximum ankle dorsiflexion was also recorded using the Plug in Gait marker set. Results All participants maintained heel-toe gait in all walking conditions. The peak pressure on the MFF during downhill slope walking was lower than that during ground and uphill walking, whereas the peak pressure on the MFF during uphill slope walking was similar to that during ground walking at each walking speed. The peak pressures on the heel were similar for different walking slopes at each walking speed. The peak pressures on the MFF and heel increased with an increase in walking speed. The pressure-time integral of the MFF did not show significant changes at different walking speeds and slopes. The pressure-time integral of the heel increased with an increase in walking slope and decrease in walking speed. Conclusions Different walking speeds and slopes affected the pedobarographic characteristics of young healthy adults. Downhill walking with slower speed appeared to be beneficial to reduce or optimize MFF pressures, while downhill walking at a comfortable speed would be helpful to reduce or optimize heel pressures. The findings of this study have clinical implications in recommending activities to patients with foot pressure-related symptoms and disorders.

Analysis of Diabetic Foot Deformation and Plantar Pressure Distribution of Women at Different Walking Speeds

“…The MPP and PTI are commonly used measures to assess the foot biomechanics with different movements and related to foot pain and the development of foot ulcers in diabetic patients [ 32 ]. The plantar of the foot in this study is divided into five specific areas: toes, metatarsal heads, medial midfoot, lateral midfoot, and heel.…”

“…Footwear research has investigated the biomechanical changes of the lower limbs at different walking speeds [ 30 , 31 , 32 ] and found that an increased speed of gait results in greater ground reaction forces (GRFs). The shape of the foot tends to easily deform when walking at different speeds with changes in loading.…”

Effects of Hiking-Dependent Walking Speeds and Slopes on Spatiotemporal Gait Parameters and Ground Reaction Forces: A Treadmill-Based Analysis in Healthy Young Adults

“…Early studies have shown that vGRFs increased as speed increased during level walking [62,63]. Koo et al [22], in a recent study, found that peak pressures in both the forefoot and rearfoot decrease when walking on uphill and downhill slopes of 4 and 8 degrees at lower speeds compared to higher speeds. Other researchers [64], who examined ground reaction force profiles during inclined running at iso-efficiency speeds-speeds maintaining the same metabolic intensity as level running-found that running at 4% and 8% inclinations, with lower speeds compared to level running, resulted in significantly reduced peak vertical ground reaction forces as the treadmill incline increased.…”

“…On similar terrain gradients, other studies employing force platforms embedded in the surface of a ramp [14,19,20] or adapted on treadmills [15] have concentrated on investigating the impacts of uphill and downhill walking at preferred speeds on vGRFs [14,15,19,20]. Additionally, some researchers, utilizing insoles [21] and sensor matrices [22], have investigated the distribution of plantar pressures under similar experimental conditions. However, despite the valuable information offered by the studies implementing self-selected speeds that replicate everyday walking conditions, promoting more natural movement patterns and reducing stress, their applicability to the general population may be limited due to potential individual variations and responses to walking conditions.…”

Finite element analysis on femur subjected to knee joint forces during incline-decline walking

“…The unevenness may be the result of unavoidable human error in man-made work or an environmental effect, such as ramps used to reach buildings or pavement on slopes, respectively [15]. There has been an increase in research on the effects of incline surfaces while standing [16, 17−20] moving around while running [12,18], walking [19,20], or doing both [20,21], in recent years. For example, kinematics [22,23], kinetics, muscle response [24], protheses, and pathological cases [25] have all been studied in relation to incline walking.…”