Static and frequency domain analysis of plantar pressure distribution in obese and non-obese subjects

SummaryThe purpose of this study was to examine the pressure distribution under the feet in obese and non-obese subjects. The subjects were classified into four categories, each containing 20 study participants, as underweight, normal, overweight and obese subjects according to their body mass index (BMI) values. Footscans were obtained using the F-scan (Tekscan USA) in-shoe pressure measurement system. Various pedobarographic parameters such as the total plantar force, total contact area, peak pressures and power ratio (PR, the ratio of high-frequency power to the total power in an image) were evaluated. These parameters were subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA) test with more than 95% confidence interval giving excellent P-values in all the categories.