Plantar Pressure Analysis
Digital mapping of the pressure under your foot while standing and walking.
Key Takeaways
- Diabetic foot ulcers form where peak pressure is highest, usually under the forefoot or heel.
- Pressure mapping turns guesswork into measurement, showing exact overload points.
- Custom insoles designed from the map reduce pressure far better than generic ones.
- Repeat testing after fitting proves the insole is actually working.
What Does Plantar Pressure Analysis Show?
You walk across a sensor plate, which records how much load each part of your sole carries. The result is a colour map with numbers, where red areas mark the danger zones. Interestingly, patients are often surprised, since the highest pressure is rarely where they expect.
How Does This Prevent Ulcers?
Because pressure is the mechanical cause of most diabetic foot ulcers. Once the overload point is known, an insole can be built to shift load away from it. Callus that keeps returning in one spot usually sits exactly over a red zone on the map.
- Identifies overload before the skin breaks
- Guides custom insole design precisely
- Explains why a particular callus keeps returning
- Confirms whether new footwear has solved the problem
Who Benefits Most From This Test?
Patients with previous ulcers, visible deformity, recurring callus, or numbness that removes the natural warning of pain. Additionally, anyone being fitted for custom insoles gets a better result when the design is based on measurement.
What Happens After the Test?
Findings pass directly to our footwear and offloading team, who design insoles or footwear around the map. A repeat scan after fitting confirms pressure has genuinely dropped, which is the part most clinics skip.
What Does Pressure Mapping Cost?
The scan itself is modestly priced and is often combined with a footwear assessment in the same visit. Custom insoles are quoted separately, and the full amount is explained before any work starts.
Expect a colour map you can actually understand, with your danger zones marked. Patients frequently tell us this is the moment the problem finally makes sense, because they can see exactly why the callus keeps returning in one particular spot.