Matching 3D plantar model with the force and pressure data of the loading phase of gait

The interest in the study of the human foot and gait loading to determine and manage the impairments associated with various musculoskeletal, integumentary, and neurological disorders has intensified considerably in recent years. This type of research is particularly important for finding the cause of diabetic foot ulceration. In this research, a dynamic plantar 3D model is captured by video cameras and photogrammetric technique while ground reaction force and pressure are captured by an AMTI force plate and Tekscan pressure system respectively. However, it is necessary to carry out research to develop a suitable method to match these three types of plantar data. Consequently, this paper provides a discussion on the method developed for matching the dynamic 3D model, the ground reaction force plate and the pressure data recorded during the loading phase of gait. The matching methods developed allowed precise matching between the computed 3D model and the pressure data. Results show the contact area obtained by the 3D model and the area obtained by the pressure mat has a correlation of r2 = 0.998. Besides, the correlation of the vertical force (Fz) of the force plate and MatScan was r2 = 0.997. The ability to match the plantar loading and the captured dynamic 3D surface model is a significant development in the study of human gait.