What are your feet telling you?

When standing, the healthy human foot supports on the ground at Theoretical considerations three points: the joint of the first and fifth metatarsals, and the heel bone.

Arches, similar to the load-bearing structure in architecture, span between these main points. When the feet are placed side by side, the arches form a dome-like structure.

The structure is not rigid, and the tendons and joints between the bones dampen the shocks when we are walking, making the gait cycle smooth.

Conclusions can be drawn about the static and dynamics of the foot through the examination of the supportive surface, the pressure examination of the sole.

A pressure examination can be carried out by looking at the sole on a special side-lit glass sheet with a person standing on it, a pressure point pattern is revealed.

The phenomenon is caused by the fact that due to the side lighting the beams of light reach the internal surface of the glass sheet in the same or a greater angle as the critical angle of the total The principle of measurement reflection and the air.

The beams of light only pass through the transparent glass sheet at the points where its surface meets an optically denser medium than air, i.e. the part of the sole.

At the same time the amount of light emerging is proportionate with the pressure on the glass sheet, thus the brightness of the points of the image precisely shows the pressure.

If we create standard examination conditions and know the body weight, an absolute value for the pressure can also be established from the brightness of the recorded image.

The body weight (that is known) is spread over the surface of the sole in contact with the ground.

The pressure is not even, and the computer creates isochromatic areas, i.e. of the same colour, from patches with the same intensity of light, see image.

These represent areas with the same isobar, the same pressure. The pressure values are proportionate with the colour saturation, so by measuring accurately the body weight and the isobar areas pressure values can be determined exactly.