Jornal Internacional de Medicina Física e Reabilitação
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Foot Landing Pressure Measurement to Prevent Injuries in Middle-Aged and Elderly Trekkers

Yusuke Matsui, Rie Mieda, Masaru Tobe, Yuki Arai, Jo Ohta, Takashi Suto, Masafumi Kanamoto, Chizu Aso, Tomonori Takazawa, Shigeru Saito

Purpose: Preventing knee and foot joint problems in elderlies may decrease alpine emergencies. The aim of this study was to construct a device for measuring foot landing impact when descending steps and to evaluate the effectiveness of an educational program that used the device to lessen landing impact in older trekkers.

Methods: Care taken in landing was evaluated by a device, which measured peak foot-landing pressure. The value during descending was divided by comparable value during ascending (step down/step up ratio). The ratio was evaluated among 30 young volunteers, and 81 middle-aged and elderly trekkers who were participants of a trekking education program.

Results: In young volunteers, the step down/step up ratio (%) was 149 ± 29 prior to instruction explaining how to achieve a soft landing, and decreased to 121 ± 21 after the instruction (P<0.05). In the middle-aged and elderly trekkers, the ratio was 157 ± 74 before instruction of soft landing, and decreased to 135 ± 41 after instruction (P<0.05). Comparison of ratios measured between before and after an 8-month education program revealed that there was no further reduction in the ratio after the first soft landing instruction. No participant reported exacerbation of pre-existed knee pain, and no new musculoskeletal injuries were reported during the program.

Conclusion: Problems in joints of the lower extremities in senior trekkers can cause accidents in the mountain environment. Foot landing pressure measurement and its educational use might be an effective means of preventing joint injury and decreasing emergency rescue calls.