Comparison between defined and total areas of the foot for detection of gait events

Abstract

The detection of the initial contact (IC) of the foot with the floor and the end of contact or foot off (FO) supports the determination of a number of spatio-temporal parameters during gait. Methods using pressure measurement systems have been proposed for detection of gait events, either using the entire area of the sole of the foot or a limited number of defined areas. Selecting the appropriate placement for the defined areas within the foot may represent a challenge for which further information is often required. The purpose of this work was to compare the detection of IC and FO using both approaches. Five healthy subjects walking on level ground were evaluated. The average mean difference between the methods was less than 10 ms for IC and less than 35 ms for FO. Also, the results showed that the number and position of the defined areas used for detection should be evaluated with care as different contact and unloading strategies were used by the participants.