AN OBSERVATIONAL STUDY TO ASSESS THE ROLE OF FOREFOOT AND HINDFOOT WEIGHT DISTRIBUTION PATTERN USING SENSOR PLATE EVALUATION IN PATIENTS WITH UNSPECIFIED HEEL PAIN

Background: Heel pain is commonly seen in physiotherapy and orthopaedic practice. In many patients,routine examination does not reveal one clear cause. The way body weight is shared between the front andback of the foot may place repeated stress on the heel. Sensor plate assessment provides an objective recordof this loading pattern and may help identify abnormal weight-bearing in patients with unspecified heelpain.Aim: To examine forefoot and hindfoot weight distribution using sensor plate assessment in patients withunspecified heel pain.Methodology: This observational study included 50 participants aged 20 to 70 years with unspecified heelpain. Participants were selected according to the study criteria. Age, sex, body measurements, duration andside of pain, and pain intensity on the Visual Analogue Scale were recorded. Sensor plate assessmentmeasured forefoot and hindfoot load, the difference between these regions, the hindfoot-to-forefoot ratio,plantar pressure, posterior centre-of-pressure shift and the overall loading impression. Data were analysedusing descriptive and inferential statistics, with significance set at p < 0.05.Results: The participants had a mean age of 39.28 ± 11.19 years; 28 were male and 22 were female. MeanBMI was 27.28 ± 3.63 kg/m2 and mean VAS pain was 3.90 ± 1.13. Mean forefoot load was 39.67 ±7.08%, compared with 60.33 ± 7.08% over the hindfoot. Hindfoot load was significantly greater thanforefoot load, with a mean difference of 20.66% (t = 10.32, p < 0.001), and was also above the neutralreference value of 50% (p < 0.001). Higher hindfoot load was strongly related to greater heel pain (r =0.746, p < 0.001). Posterior centre-of-pressure shift also showed a significant positive relationship withpain intensity (r = 0.645, p < 0.001).Conclusion: Participants with unspecified heel pain commonly placed more weight through the hindfoot.Greater hindfoot loading and a more posterior centre of pressure were associated with higher pain levels.Sensor plate assessment may therefore be useful for identifying altered plantar loading and for planningmore focused physiotherapy management.