Aim: Insoles have been widely accepted as a front-line defense to cushion the foot, decrease foot Pressure, and reduce tissue destruction associated with repetitive high pressures in the insensate foot. In recent years, plantar pressure has widely been accepted as a vital biomechanical parameter to evaluate human walking. The distribution and magnitude of plantar pressure can provide useful information to diagnose various foot disorders. Plantar pressure measurements during standing, walking or other activities can demonstrate the Pathomechanics of the abnormal foot and yield objective measures to track disease progression1. Areas of increased plantar pressure have been clearly linked to foot pain and discomfort. Increased pressure is also responsible for skin breakdown in the denervated foot such as in Hansen's disease and diabetic neuropathy. Planter pressure was studied with the use of both insoles Silicone gel and MCR (Micro cellular Rubber).
Design: A repeated measure design was followed.
Purpose: The aim of the study was to check the efficiency of both these commonly prescribed insoles (MCR and silicone gel insole) in terms of plantar pressure redistribution and center of pressure pattern with MCR insole and silicone gel insole. The data was managed on an excel spreadsheet and was analyzed using the SPSS software PASW (version 17.0). Descriptive statistics (Mean and standard deviation) were computed for each study variable. The outcome variables used for analysis were static planter pressure, dynamic planter pressure and center of pressure. The planter pressure measured for eight areas of the foot, i.e the hallux, 2-5 toe, 1st meta-tarsal, 2-4 meta-tarsal, 5th meta-tarsal, mid-foot, medial heel pressure and lateral heel pressure. A total of 30 subjects were recruited for the study. Out of 30 subjects, two were female and 28 were female. A kruskal-wallis test was used to compare the difference in planter pressure (static and dynamic) and center of pressure. The mean age of male subject was 65.53±5.02 years and female was 61.00±1.41 years and for entire population, the mean age was 65.23 ± 4.99 years. The mean of BMI for male subject was 23.95±2.34 and for female were 22.43±1.50 and for entire population was 22.40 ± 1.52. On the basis of preceding data, we conclude that both the insole MCR and silicone gel insole are effective in reducing planter pressure and realigning the center of pressure pattern. In some major pressure sensitive area of foot (Halux, 1st Metatarsal head etc.) silicone gel insole reducing more pressure than MCR insole. But MCR is a good alternative insole material in reducing the plantar pressure and maintaining the COP pattern.
Functional recovery in post-stroke patients on hemodialysis during the convalescent phase: a comparison with those not undergoing hemodialysis
