Gait analysis for elderly people with visual impairment using plantar pressure measurement

Independent walking for elderly people with visual impairment is one of the important things in their daily lives. Accordingly, the objective of this study is to understand the gait characteristic of elderly people with visual impairment using plantar pressure distribution analysis. Ten male subjects who are visually impaired were recruited from the Korea Blind Union. Experimental procedure was divided into two conditions: walking without the white cane and with the white cane. The plantar pressure distributions were assessed during walking at a comfortable speed along a 10 m walkway. All plantar pressure distributions were subdivided into six regions of masks and five phases, and these data were analyzed for the force and pressure. The results showed that the maximum force and mean pressure of the right side increased while the peak pressure of that side decreased significantly. In addition, there was association with the foot regions and stance phase during walking both without and with the white cane. This paper suggest that gait and postural balance pattern of elderly people with visual impairment could be influenced by walking assistive device. Therefore, more researches are needed based on the gait characteristic to develop new types walking assistive device and provide appropriate rehabilitation strategies for people with visual impairment.