The nature of functional variability in plantar pressure during a range of controlled walking speeds

During walking, variability in step parameters allows the body to adapt to changes in substrate or unexpected perturbations that may occur as the feet interface with the environment. Despite a rich literature describing biomechanical variability in step parameters, there are as yet no studies that consider variability at the body–environment interface. Here, we used pedobarographic statistical parametric mapping (pSPM) and two standard measures of variability, mean square error (m.s.e.) and the coefficient of variation (CV), to assess the magnitude and spatial variability in plantar pressure across a range of controlled walking speeds. Results by reduced major axis, and pSPM regression, revealed no consistent linear relationship between m.s.e. and speed or m.s.e. and Froude number. A positive linear relationship, however, was found between CV and walking speed and CV and Froude number. The spatial distribution of variability was highly disparate when assessed by m.s.e. and CV: relatively high variability was consistently confined to the medial and lateral forefoot when measured by m.s.e., while the forefoot and heel show high variability when measured by CV. In absolute terms, variability by CV was universally low (less than 2.5%). From these results, we determined that variability as assessed by m.s.e. is independent of speed, but dependent on speed when assessed by CV.