Journal of Korean Foot and Ankle Society (대한족부족관절학회지)

Korean Foot & Ankle Society (대한족부족관절학회)
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Comparative Analysis of Two Pedobarography Systems

두 족저압 측정장비의 비교 분석

  • Ho Won Kang (Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Ewha Womans University Mokdong Hospital) ;
  • Soomin Pyeun (Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Seoul National University College of Medicine) ;
  • Dae-Yoo Kim (Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Busan Paik Hospital) ;
  • Yun Jae Cho (Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Han-il General Hospital) ;
  • Min Gyu Kyung (Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Seoul National University Hospital) ;
  • Dong Yeon Lee (Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Seoul National University College of Medicine)
  • 강호원 (이화여자대학교 목동병원 정형외과) ;
  • 변수민 (서울대학교 의과대학 정형외과학교실) ;
  • 김대유 (부산백병원 정형외과) ;
  • 조윤재 (한일병원 정형외과) ;
  • 경민규 (서울대학교병원 정형외과) ;
  • 이동연 (서울대학교 의과대학 정형외과학교실)
  • Received : 2023.11.13
  • Accepted : 2024.01.10
  • Published : 2024.03.15
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Abstract

Purpose: Foot pressure measurement devices are used widely in clinical settings for plantar pressure assessments. Despite the availability of various devices, studies evaluating the inter-device reliability are limited. This study compared plantar pressure measurements obtained from HR Mat (Tekscan Inc.) and EMED-n50 (Novel GmbH). Materials and Methods: The study involved 38 healthy male volunteers. The participants were categorized into two groups based on the Meary's angle in standing foot lateral radiographs: those with normal feet (angles ranging from -4° to 4°) and those with mild flatfeet (angles from -8° to -15°). The static and dynamic plantar pressures of the participants were measured using HR Mat and EMED-n50. The reliability of the contact area and mean force was assessed using the interclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Furthermore, the differences in measurements between the two devices were examined, considering the presence of mild flatfoot. Results: The ICC values for the contact area and mean force ranged from 0.703 to 0.947, indicating good-to-excellent reliability across all areas. EMED-n50 tended to record higher contact areas than HR Mat. The mean force was significantly higher in the forefoot region when measured with EMED-n50, whereas, in the hindfoot region, this difference was observed only during static measurements with HR Mat. Participants with mild flatfeet exhibited significantly higher contact areas in the midfoot region for both devices, with no consistent differences in the other parameters. Conclusion: The contact area and mean force measurements of the HR Mat and EMED-n50 showed high reliability. On the other hand, EMED-n50 tended to record higher contact areas than HR Mat. In cases of mild flatfoot, an increase in contact area within the midfoot region was observed, but no consistent impact on the differences between the two devices was evident.

Keywords

Acknowledgement

We sincerely appreciate Hyo Jeong Yoo, Hye Sun Park, and Seong Hyun Kim (Human Motion Analysis Laboratory of Seoul National University Hospital) for their technical support in collection and analysis of the kinematic data from the study subjects.

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