Investigation of the effect of ergonomic flooring on the distribution of foot pressure in long standing

S Taherzadeh; MS Ghasemi; H Saeedi; H Dehghan; Z Rahimi Khalifa Kennedy

doi:10.18502/tkj.v13i2.7042

S Taherzadeh Master of Ergonomics, Department of Ergonomics, School of Health, Iran University of Medical Sciences
MS Ghasemi Associate Professor, Department of Basic Sciences, School of Rehabilitation, Department of Ergonomics, School of Health, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
H Saeedi Associate Professor, Department of Orthopedics, School of Rehabilitation, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
H Dehghan Assistant Professor, Occupational Medicine Research Center, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Z Rahimi Khalifa Kennedy PhD Student, Department of Health Education, Faculty of Health, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/tkj.v13i2.7042

Keywords: Musculoskeletal Disorders, Prolonged Standing, Ergonomic Flooring, Foot Pressure, Pedar-x

Abstract

Introduction: Many occupations require prolonged standing during exercise, which is one of the most important causes of musculoskeletal disorders, causing pain and discomfort in the back, lower limbs, and especially the soles of the feet, resulting in improper distribution of pressure in the soles of the feet. Epidemiological studies also show a strong association between prolonged standing and pressure on the lower back and lower limbs. One of the ergonomic solutions to reduce the problems caused by long-standing activities is to correct the surface under the fee. Therefore, this study investigates the effect of ergonomic flooring and conventional flooring on the distribution of foot pressure in healthy individuals; based on that, the effect of using ergonomic flooring in comparison with conventional flooring, more appropriate distribution, and reduction of pressure in the sole can be determined.

Materials and Methods: This descriptive-analytical study was performed on 16 students with a mean age of 27.87±7.31 and a body mass index of 24.15±4.31. According to previous comparative studies and data analysis obtained from pilot samples, by considering the 95% confidence interval, the samples were determined by the convenience sampling method. Each participant was measured at eight anatomical points for one hour at two different surfaces of ergonomic and ordinary floor. Foot pressure distribution using a pedar-x device while the volunteers were barefoot. Data were analyzed by paired t-test and Wilcoxon using SPSS software.

Results: This study showed that the ergonomic flooring significantly reduced the mean pressure on the plantar pressure (p≤0.001). Also, there is a significant difference in the mean pressure of left and right legs in different anatomical points when using ordinary surfaces and flooring (p≤0.001).

Conclusion: There is a difference between the distribution of plantar pressure in ergonomic flooring and conventional flooring. Ergonomic flooring has better distribution than the ground and reduces the pressure on the sole during static activities.