An Investigation Into The Influence Of Walking Speed On The Reliability Of F-Scan Plantar Pressure Measurement System.

Title: An investigation into the influence of walking speed on the reliability of F-Scan Plantar pressure measurement system. Background: F-Scan in-shoe plantar pressure measurement system has recently been used more commonly in clinical and research settings. Although a number of studies have supported the use of F-Scan as a reliable measuring device, there has been no research into how walking speed affects this. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of walking speed on the reliability of F-Scan plantar pressure measurement system. Additional aims were to investigate whether walking speed has an effect on peak plantar pressure (PPP) and its location. Methods: 14 participants (eight male, six female) completed a random sequence of nine walking trials on a treadmill at three different speeds; 2.7km/h, 5.4km/h and 6.5km/h while wearing standardised shoes. During these walking trials, F-Scan was used to record plantar pressures. Participants were to return to repeat the procedure but data collection had to be ceased due to equipment failure. Results: F-Scan shows acceptable variability (CV=0.072–0.116) and good reliability (ICC=0.879–0.962) for recording within-session measures at the tested walking speeds. In addition, no significant difference (p<0.0017) was found between the whole foot PPP at the tested speeds although results do indicate there is a trend of increased PPP at faster walking speeds. Furthermore, no significant relationship (p