Applications of Pedobarographic Analysis in Children - A Systematic Review
Healthy plantar pressure distribution beneath the feet plays a crucial role in children’s development from the very beginning, with any deviations potentially leading to various pathologic conditions. This review aims to examine recent applications of pedobarographic analysis in pediatrics applications, providing a clearer picture of current research practices and the topics being addressed. The authors conducted a comprehensive search across several scientific databases, including PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar, ultimately selecting 17 studies after applying specific criteria for inclusion. The findings demonstrate that pedobarographic analysis can effectively differentiate between age and sex differences in plantar pressure and detect the influence of various risk factors in healthy children. It was found that a child’s foot health is closely linked to their physical activity level, with body fat percentage playing a significant role in pressure distribution. Furthermore, external factors like school bags and internal factors such as obesity were identified as major contributors to abnormal plantar pressure, and pedobarography proved successful in detecting these effects. The analysis also showed that pedobarography is an effective tool for assessing foot health, tracking changes, and monitoring longterm recovery or trends in children. However, the review also highlights a limitation in the scarcity of research, particularly in the areas of gait and plantar pressure in children. Only a few studies have focused on young healthy athletes, suggesting that future research could delve deeper into this population.