Neuropathic diabetic patients do not have reduced variability of plantar loading during gait

The objective of this study was to measure the variability of plantar loading during gait and explore the differences between neuropathic and non-neuropathic patients. At least 50 cycles of in-shoe plantar pressure data were recorded as 39 patients (13 non-diabetic, 13 diabetic non-neuropathic, 13 diabetic neuropathic) walked overground in two different types of footwear. As measured by both log mean squared error and coefficient of variation, the results showed that variability was not significantly influenced by the diagnostic group for any shoe condition or for any region of the foot. These findings suggest that reduced variability in plantar loading is not a factor in the development of plantar lesions in neuropathic patients. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.