Biofeedback-Informed Walking Strategy for Partial Foot Unloading in Able-Bodied Subjects

The reduction of high plantar pressure is mandatory for prevention of foot ulcers in diabetic patients with peripheral neuropathy. In this paper, we conducted a biofeedback experiment to study walking strategy for partial foot unloading in able-bodied subjects. During walking, the subjects were monitored for pressure occurred in specific parts of the sole and informed to adopt different walking strategies to reduce the planter pressure levels by auditory feedback. The data of the plantar pressure and the joint kinematics of the hip, knee and ankle were collected simultaneously. The results showed that with the auditory biofeedback the subjects could effectively reduce the pressure to the designated levels for the target area of the sole. We also found that there was a general consistency in the changes of multiple joint angles, which may be useful to guide diabetic patients to perform gait retraining for pressure reduction purposes.