Foot-Mediated Ground Loading and the Role of Basic and Passive Balance Point—Towards Detecting Posture Abnormalities

Abstract

(1) Background: The paper focuses on foot biomechanics in static situations. The aim was to determine the distribution of the load exerted by the human body on the ground in order to establish reference points on the foot for correct human body posture. (2) Methods: A model was developed to describe the body weight-ground relationship, consisting of a support platform and a part imitating the rest of the human body. Experiments consisted of tilting the general centre of gravity from the maximum forward through midfoot, a passive, neutral position, to the maximum backwards while maintaining balance. The ground load was measured in each position. (3) Results: The loads of the front and rear parts of the support platform and the resultant load force at different degrees of body tilt were calculated. It has been shown that at the maximum inclination of the body to the extreme support point, the entire weight falls on this point. For the neutral position (in the Basic Balance Point), the load on the front and rear parts of the support platform was 26% and 74%, and 40% and 60% for the passive position (in the Passive Balance Point). (4) Conclusions: The distribution of body weight on the ground is determined by the projection of the general centre of gravity on the ground through the feet. The resultant ground reaction force defines both the magnitude and direction of the load exerted on the support platform. Ground reaction forces associated with body weight were assessed at five anatomical points of the foot: the forefoot, rearfoot, midfoot, and the Passive and Basic Balance Point. In an upright standing posture, the projection of the general centre of gravity fluctuates between the Passive and Basic Balance Point, corresponding to the passive and neutral positions, respectively. Only in the neutral position, the body’s weight, as concentrated in the general centre of gravity, falls on the axis of the upper ankle joint and distributes the load between the forefoot and rearfoot. Determining the correct distribution of foot loads may serve in the future to study abnormalities in human body posture