ANALYSIS OF DIFFERENCE OF FOOT PLANTAR PRESSURE IN OLDER WOMEN WITH DIFFERENT BONE MINERAL DENSITY LEVELS

Abstract Objectives To explore the characteristics of foot plantar pressures in the older women with different bone mineral density levels. Methods 50 older women (68.84 ± 3.73 yr) were recruited from one community in Beijing, China. T value of the bone mineral density and average force of 10 plantar partitions (toe 1, toe 2-5, metatarsal 1, metatarsal 2 and metatarsal 3, metatarsal 4, metatarsal 5, midfoot, medial heel, and lateral heel) in two feet were tested. Taking the median of T value, the participants were divided into low and high bone mineral density group (L group: N = 27, T = -3.43 ± 0.80, 68.62 ± 3.42 yr; H group: N = 23, T = -1.37 ± 0.68, 69.09 ± 4.12 yr). Independent T test was used to analyze the difference of foot plantar pressures between two groups. Results (1) The average force of toe 1 on the dominant side in the L group was significantly lower than that in the H group (t = -2.161, p = 0.036). (2) The average force of metatarsal 5 on the dominant side and that of metatarsal 1 on the non-dominant side were significantly higher than that in the H group (t = 2.413, p = 0.020; t = 2.182, p = 0.034). Conclusions: The difference of average force in the older women with different bone mineral density levels was greater on the dominant side than that on the non-dominant side, and greater on the forefoot than that on the arch and heel.