Normal foot--ground pressure pattern in children.

A modern measuring aid for recording foot--ground pressure (FGP) distribution was used to establish normal patterns in male and female children aged 4 to 6 years. Computer analysis demonstrated the pressure exerted by each part of the foot. Standing at ease, the child with a normal foot exerts most of his ground pressure by the posterior weight-bearing area (WBA). The rest is distributed between the middle and anterior WBAs, with the middle portion exerting no more than 10% of the total foot--ground pressure. The advantage of this measuring system is that once a normal FGP has been established, it can serve as an important diagnostic aid and an accurate guide for deciding on appropriate conservative or surgical treatment of the feet of young children.