Gait Analysis on the Elderly Women with Foot Scan

This study compares the gait characteristics of elderly women during barefoot walkingand walkingwith sneakers. We measured foot angles, max foot pressure, peak plantar pressure of each plantar region, velocity of Center of Pressure(COP), and axis shifting of COP with an RS-scan system. Elderly women's foot angles were narrower when walkingwith sneakers than when barefoot walking. We found that the subtalar jointangle (representing ankle joint flex- ibility) affected walkingstability. Regarding the peak plantar pressure of each foot region, pressures were high in the medial regions and the pressures greatly varied depending on the region measured during barefoot walking. The COP moved significantly faster when walkingwith sneakers than barefoot walkingand suggests that elderly women walkedfaster in sneakers. Axis shifting of the COP decreased during walkingwith sneakers and indicated that gait balance improved when walkingwith sneakers. The findings of the present study can be utilized as foundational data for elderly women's gait characteristics as well as data for the production of functional footwear. Future research that focuses on var- ious types of shoes, age groups, and gender are recommended for the development of more functional footwear for stable