Flatfoot is a common foot disease, usually caused by sagging arches and overloading of the inner part of the foot. Mild flat feet only cause foot fatigue while walking and in severe cases joint problems in the knees, hips and spine.
A plantar pressure plate can be used scientifically to help us determine the presence of flat feet and the severity of the condition.
The working principle of foot pressure plate is pressure distribution sensing.
A slab fitted with a pressure sensing will detect pressure on each contact point of the foot while the subject is standing. pressure sensors convert this information into electronic signals that are eventually displayed on the screen in the form of images or pressure curves. By analyzing whether the pressure of the foot is uniform and whether the arch of the foot bears the sole’s pressure, we can judge whether there is a flat foot and how serious it is.
The most intuitive feature of flat-footed feet is the collapse of the arch, overloading the inside.
When standing still on the foot a plantar pressure plate, the contact area between the middle and inside of the foot increases, the pressure curve is concentrated on the foot pressure plate and the center of gravity is inclined inward.
Compared to a normal arch, the pressure of flat feet is more evenly distributed, covering a larger area of the sole and increasing peak pressure in the center of the sole.
By analyzing the load-to-weight ratio between the left and right feet, it is also possible to determine whether flat foot occurs only on one foot and whether arch of the foot is asymmetrical.
The function of arch in gait was further evaluated by dynamic analysis of foot pressure plate. When walking on pressure plate or connected tracks, the system continuously records force changes during heel strike, midfoot transition and forefoot push-off.
When the gait is flat, the arch of the foot collapses obviously, the internal pressure persists a long time, lateral forefoot load is too big, and gait compensation is obvious.
Through dynamic analysis, doctors or rehabilitation specialists can understand how flat feet affect walking posture and the lower limb movement chain, which could inform the design of corrective insoles, rehabilitation training or exercise interventions.
Simply put, the plantar pressure plate captures the pressure distribution of the foot through sensors, revealing the hidden arch of the foot through static and dynamic analysis. This turns invisible arches into quantifiable data. Not only can height and function of the arch be measured, it can also provide the basis for personalized interventions to achieve closed-loop management from screening, evaluation, intervention to re-evaluation.
