Study of footprints to determine the incidence of pes planus in south-indian population using staheli’s plantar arch index

Introduction: Pesplanus is one of the most common foot problems. It is characterized by-fatigue during the gait, metatarsalgia, pain in the forefoot, rearfoot, ankle, medial edge of the foot, near the insertion of the posterior tibialis, dorsal part of the foot (in case of a rigid foot), The patient has difficulty in standing, walking, running, etc. Materials & Methods: The main purpose of this study was to apply quantitative and qualitative analysis of the footprints to determine the incidence of pesplanus (flat foot) in South-Indian student population by Plantar Arch Index method and to grade the severity of pesplanus. A Sample size of 284 students from Vydehi Institute Of Medical Sciences & Research Centre Bangalore was selected comprising of 142 males and 142 females, aged between 18-24 years.Informed consent from the students and ethical clearance from the institute was obtained. Printing India ink was applied on the soles of both the feet of each student and dynamic footprints were obtained on A4 size papers. Analysis of the results was done. Results: This study revealed that 113 out of 284 subjects had pesplanus. The overall incidence of pesplanus was 39.7% including 21.8% in males and 17.9% in females. Furthermore, the incidence of unilateral flat foot was 9.15% among males, 7.74% among females and a total of 8.45% in the study population and the incidence of bilateral flat foot was 25.3% among males, 20.4% among females and a total of 22.8% in the study population. Totally out of 568 feet (284 subjects) 178 feet were flat i.e. had pesplanus which included 52 Grade I flat foot, 53 Grade II, 32 Grade III and 41 Grade IV flat foot. Conclusion: It may serve as an early warning sign of structural and functional defects of the foot in a young population and can provide help for making appropriate footwear for persons with pesplanus