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Updated: Aug 21, 2026
Erosion Identification in Metacarpophalangeal Joints in Rheumatoid Arthritis using High-Resolution Peripheral Quantitative Computed Tomography
Published on: October 6, 2023
Pedobarography and its relation to radiologic erosion scores in rheumatoid arthritis
Hakan Tuna1, Murat Birtane, Nurettin Taştekin
1Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Department, Trakya University Hospital, Edirne, Turkey. hakantuna@trkya.edu.tr
Objective:
The aim of this study was to assess probable plantar pressure alterations in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients by comparison with normal subjects and to investigate the probable relation between pressure distribution under the foot and radiologic foot erosion score.
Methods:
Two hundred feet of 50 chronic RA patients and 50 healthy controls were evaluated. Static and dynamic pedobarographic evaluations were used to define the plantar pressure distribution. Also, the modified Larsen scoring system was used to detect the staging of erosions on feet radiograms of the RA patients.
Results:
Static pedobarography revealed higher pressure and contact areas in the forefoot. All dynamic pedobarographic parameters except for plantar contact area were significantly different between the RA patients and control subjects. Patients with high erosion scores had higher static forefoot and dynamic phalanx peak pressure values.
Conclusion:
Pedobarographic investigation can be useful to evaluate pressure distribution disorders in RA feet and may provide suitable guidelines for the design of various plantar supports.
