BACKGROUND: Previous studies showed that gait changes and decline in walking stability are the main reason for the older women fall.
OBJECTIVE: To observe the plantar pressure characteristics of old women in walking in order to provide the basic data for monitoring the aging process of human motion system.
METHODS: Totally 45 middle-aged and 45 elder women were treated with high plantar pressure test system for testing. Phase, impulse, foot shaft angle, enough to turn inside and outside indicators were observed.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Each stage time of supporting phase in the older group was larger than that of the middle-aged group under natural ground and leave. Compared with middle-aged group, forefoot push off phase occupied by supporting phase was small (P < 0.05), but the contact phase and forefoot intact phase occupied by the supporting phase were large in the older group (P < 0.05). The largest part of impulse of foot suffered was the first metatarsal 2 and 3 in the middle-aged group, and in the older group the largest part of the impulse of foot suffered was the first metatarsal about 3 and 4. Distribution of impulse in feet was basically the same. Walking foot shaft angle in the older group was significantly greater than that of the middle-aged group   (P < 0.05). The number of cases with foot inversion in the older group (13 cases) was more than that in the middle-aged group (5 cases). Middle-aged women walked slowly than older women walking. During supporting period, characteristics of age-related changes were the proportion of forefoot push off phase shorter and the proportion of foot flat phase longer. The site vulnerable to fatigue and injure was the middle of anterior foot. Older people are more likely to walk pigeon toed stance, and prone to foot inversion phenomenon.