Screening method based on walking plantar impulse for detecting musculoskeletal senescence and injury

PLoS One. 2013 Dec 30;8(12):e83839. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0083839. eCollection 2013.

Abstract

No consensus has been reached on how musculoskeletal system injuries or aging can be explained by a walking plantar impulse. We standardize the plantar impulse by defining a principal axis of plantar impulse. Based upon this standardized plantar impulse, two indexes are presented: plantar pressure record time series and plantar-impulse distribution along the principal axis of plantar impulse. These indexes are applied to analyze the plantar impulse collected by plantar pressure plates from three sources: Achilles tendon ruptures; elderly people (ages 62-71); and young people (ages 19-23). Our findings reveal that plantar impulse distribution curves for Achilles tendon ruptures change irregularly with subjects' walking speed changes. When comparing distribution curves of the young, we see a significant difference in the elderly subjects' phalanges plantar pressure record time series. This verifies our hypothesis that a plantar impulse can function as a means to assess and evaluate musculoskeletal system injuries and aging.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Achilles Tendon / injuries*
  • Achilles Tendon / physiology*
  • Adult
  • Aging / physiology*
  • Female
  • Foot / physiology*
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Rupture
  • Surface Properties
  • Walking / physiology*
  • Young Adult

Grants and funding

This project was funded by National Natural Science Foundation of China under the Grant Numbers 10925208, 10972061, 11172073 and by Guangdong Natural Science Foundation under the grant number S2011010001829. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.