Running pain? You might need a foot map

HEALTH WATCH: DANIEL KAMENETZKY 

   The analysis of the interaction between the foot and the ground during running is critical in understanding many of the injuries associated with this activity and its efficiency during competition.

   How does the first contact occur during landing? What is the total area that contacts the ground in each instance of the supporting phase? Which one is the angle between the longitudinal axis of the foot and the direction of the movement? These are a few of the questions that I try to answer as a Kinesiologist helping to solve injuries associated with the running technique.

   The understanding of the foot’s pressure distribution in function of time during running allows, for example, to 1) infer the most likely distribution of pressure in different joints of the leg; 2) know the stresses that the foot is suffering; 3) know the applied forces that affect the movement; 4) know the amount of time the athlete is in contact with the ground.

   Several tools are available to measure plantar pressure. Qualitatively, videography still is the cheapest and most valuable. We can observe the contact progress and establish angles and areas of the foot in contact with the ground in function of the time.

   However the most modern technology allows for a quantitative measurement at the same time. This produces a “map” and the exact numerical value of the pressure in each area of the foot in function at the time. Different formats can be used to create the map, such as a mat to walk over or an insole worn inside the shoe.

   These new technologies increase our possibilities to understand the athlete’s technical and physiological executions, and their consequences for performance and injuries. 

Daniel Kamenetzky is a sport methodologist and kinesiologist for the staff of Sports Medicine For Young Athletes.