Analysis of plantar pressure in diabetic type 2 subjects with and without neuropathy

Diabetes is a disorder of metabolism—the way our bodies use digested food for growth and energy. The most common form of diabetes is type 2 diabetes. Abnormal plantar pressures are considered to play a major role in the pathologies of neuropathic ulcers in the diabetic foot. The purpose of this study was to examine the plantar pressure distribution in normal, diabetic type 2 with and without neuropathy subjects. Footscans were obtained using the F-Scan (Tekscan USA) in-shoe pressure measurement system. Various pedobarographic parameters such as the total plantar force, total contact area, peak pressures, percentage medial impulse (PMI), load and power ratio (PR, the ratio of high frequency power to the total power in an image) were evaluated. These parameters were subjected to ANOVA (analysis of variance) test with more than 95% confidence interval giving excellent P-values in all the categories.