Dynamic plantar pressure distribution in the last trimester pregnancy of Chinese women during walking

Objective: The aim of this study was to quantify the plantar pressure of pregnant women in the last trimester, and analyse the distributional difference between the left and right foot. The results can provide data support and theoretical basis for designing pregnant women footwear and rehabilitation of foot pain during pregnancy. Method: Thirty-one pregnant women in the last trimester were randomly sampled from hospitals. A footscan plantar pressure plate system was used to collect the gait data. Each foot was divided into 10 anatomical regions by the footscan plate system Participants walked across the plate at preferred speed while barefoot. Spss 13.0 was used to describe the differences of dynamic plantar pressures between the left and right foot. Significance is defined as p < 0.05. Results: Between the left and right foot, the normalized peak pressure of maximum pressure picture (MPP) was significantly different (p < 0.05) for toe1, metatarsal 1-5, heel lateral (HL) and heel medial (HM). Pressure time integrals (PTI) of metatarsal 1-5, HL and HM were also significantly different (p< 0.05). There were significant differences in almost all contact areas of the plantar regions (p< 0.05) except at the midfoot (MF). Conclusion: Plantar pressure parameters between the left and right foot were different for pregnant women in the last trimester. The plantar pressure of MF was the largest MPP/PTI in both feet. So we suggest that softer insoles be considered at the MF when designing footwear for women in the last trimester of pregnancy. This may relief the pressure and impulses of MF.