3D photogrammetric analysis of the load-bearing foot

Abstract

Surpisingly, little is know about how the foot carries load while walking. Motion of the bones or shape of the foot during load-bearing has been studied using video fluoroscopy, laser scanning phtogrammetry or modelled from static poses using finite element techniques. Also, pressure under the foot is regularly measured, but how the plantar surface changes during weight-bearing is unknown despite being relevant to shoe design and orthothic prescriiption for the normal and pathological foot. Close-range photogrammetry (CRP) has been used extensively in medical applications, such as craniofacial mapping and scoliosis screening to obtain three-dimensional data and provides a feasible method for measuring the plantar surface of the foot during gait. Advantages of this method over existing imaging techniques are that it is (i) non-contact and non-invasive, (ii) provides instantaneous imaging, (iii) is highly accurate, and (iv) allows for dynamic analysis of structures. This paper presents the development and application of a novel CRP technique for studying 3D shape of the plantar surfuace of the foot during gait.