An application of the free moment for the diabetic patients' classification - a pilot study

Pressure and friction at the foot-supporting surface interface are the main mechanical risk factors for the development of diabetic foot ulcers. The main "at risk" area is represented by the forefoot. If for the evaluation of barefoot and in-shoe pressure there are commercial devices available, for the evaluation of friction forces the main research studies are still not accessible at the level of a clinical setting. The aim of this paper is to present a potential classification of the diabetic patients based on rotational friction evaluated in walking through the free moment in a sample of 73 diabetic patients. By using cluster analysis, two main clusters were identified, characterized by "low" and "high" values of normalized free moment. Simultaneous evaluation of the pressure and free moment in walking could represent a simple and useful method for screening diabetic patients in a clinical setting.