Test-retest reliability of baropodometry in young asyntomatic individuals during semi static and dynamic analysis

Abstract

Introduction: Postural control is a multidimensional construct modulated by the integration of sensory information and muscular activity. One of the challenges in clinical practice and scientific research is the postural data collection of objective control data. Thus, baropodometry can be a promising instrument for analysis. Objective: To evaluate the absolute and relative reliability of baropodometry by means of test-retest in young asymptomatic subjects during semi-static and dynamic analysis. Methods: This is a methodological study, approved by the Research Ethics Committee of UFJF (1,803,411). Sample selection was performed by convenience. Healthy individuals aged 18 to 35 years were included in the study without gender restriction. Participants with pain or any clinical signs of overload which led to unfeasible collection were excluded from the analysis. The variables analyzed were contact surface, maximum and mean pressure, index bow, pressure center and pressure areas in the forefoot, midfoot and hindfoot. Results: 33 individuals (total of 66 feet) participated in this study. The mean body mass of the participants was 63.0 ± 9.9kg, height of 163.4 ± 30.1cm, BMI of 23.7 ± 2.8 kg/m2. It was observed that five out of the eight variables evaluated in the semi-static analysis presented high reliability (≥ 0.70). On the other hand, the reproducibility of the measures in the dynamic analysis was low to moderate (≤ 0.69). Conclusion: Baropodometry findings should be interpreted with caution in clinical practice and in scientific research. It is suggested that complementary assessments be made for decision-making assistance.

Reliability of plantar pressure and postural control measures of children from 4 to 12 years: analysis by baropodometry

“…The intra-and inter-evaluator reliability was good to excellent for all bipodal plantar pressure variables when children aged 4 to 12 years old were evaluated (Table 3), as well as when divided by ages 4 to 7 and 8 to 12 years old (Tables 4 and 5). In this context, Alves et al 16 presented a similar result to the one demonstrated by this study in healthy young individuals, but only with an intraevaluator analysis, without standardization of foot positioning and eye direction, which makes it difficult to perform the tests with the same reproducibility, different from the present study. Also, previous studies have investigated the reliability of plantar pressure measurements using other instruments 17 , but in baropodometry, this evidence is limited and established only for young individuals.…”

“…Present study results for postural oscillation through the oscillation of the body's pressure center (CoP) did not show acceptable reliability (Tables 3, 4, and 5). The study by Alves et al 16 also obtained poor reliability (ICC of 0.31) in CoP analysis in healthy young subjects. Therefore, the results of the present study did not show adequate reliability on children's stabilometry analyzed in the baropodometer, as it was found to be weak to moderate for intra-evaluator and inter-evaluators reliability.…”

How do sports affect static baropodometry? An observational study among women living in southern Italy

“…Furthermore, anthropometrics change as a result of the specificity of the sport that is practised [5,8,9]. Different authors suggested that baropodometry was a reliable instrument to determine plantar pressure distribution [1,10], while Alves et al [11] reported that baropodometric results should be interpreted with caution in science and in clinical practice. In this regard, Phethean and Nester [12] pointed out the influence of body weight, body mass index (bMI), and gender on plantar pressure distribution.…”

Protocols of balance assessment using baropodometry in healthy individuals - systematic review

“…In the study by Alves et al 7 it was performed the evaluation of the relative and absolute reliability of the baropodometer in healthy individuals, through the test-retest method, with semi-static and dynamic analysis. They found that fi ve variables analyzed in the semi-static evaluated presented high reliability (≥ 0.70), but in the dynamic analysis was low to moderate (≤0.69).…”

“…It is important that some guidance on the positioning of the feet be given so that evaluations take place under the same conditions. But in some studies no guidelines were given or they were not described [7][8][9][10] . This no standardization could make it diffi cult the repeatability of the test in a second time.…”