Natural gaits of the non-pathological flat foot and high-arched foot

TL;DR

This study compares the natural walking gaits of individuals with flat feet and high arches using 3D foot scanning and plantar pressure measurements, revealing significant differences in force distribution and footprint area rates.

Contribution

It introduces two new indices for analyzing gait differences and provides empirical evidence of biomechanical distinctions between flat-footed and high-arched individuals.

Findings

Flat-footed individuals exhibit higher vertical ground reaction force distribution.

High-arched individuals have a smaller footprint area rate, indicating greater stability.

Significant gait differences are observed in both stance phase and stride cycle.

Abstract

There has been a controversy as to whether or not the non-pathological flat foot and high-arched foot have an effect on human walking activities. The 3D foot scanning system was employed to obtain static footprints from subjects adopting a half-weight-bearing stance. Based upon their footprints, the subjects were divided into two groups: the flat-footed and the high-arched. The plantar pressure measurement system was used to measure and record the subjects' successive natural gaits. Two indices were proposed: distribution of vertical ground reaction force (VGRF) of plantar and the rate of the footprint areas. Using these two indices to compare the natural gaits of the two subject groups, we found that (1) in stance phase, there is a significant difference (p<0.01) in the distributions of VGRF of plantar; (2) in a stride cycle, there is also a significant difference (p<0.01) in the rates of the footprint areas. Our analysis suggests that when walking, the VGRF of the plantar brings greater muscle tension to the flat-footed while a smaller rate of the footprint areas brings greater stability to the high-arched.