Plantar Pressure Responses to Backpack Load in Long-Distance Hikers: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study.

Area of Science:

• Biomechanics
• Sports Medicine
• Human Movement Analysis

Background:

• Long-distance hiking involves carrying backpacks, altering lower limb loading and plantar pressure patterns.
• Excessive backpack loads may cause overuse injuries, yet quantitative data supporting weight recommendations is limited.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of varying backpack loads on plantar pressure distribution in long-distance hikers.
• To provide biomechanical evidence for backpack weight recommendations in hiking.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional observational study involving adult hikers with recent extensive walking.
• Plantar pressure was measured using the Podoprint® system under no load, habitual load, 10% body weight load, and 20% body weight load.
• Static and dynamic plantar pressure parameters were analyzed using repeated-measures comparisons.

Main Results:

• Plantar force progressively increased with higher backpack loads in both feet.
• Static forefoot, rearfoot, and total foot pressures significantly increased with loads of 10% and 20% body weight compared to no load.
• Loads exceeding 10% body weight demonstrated significant modifications in static plantar pressures and dynamic assessment changes.

Conclusions:

• Backpack loads exceeding approximately 10% of body weight cause a discernible, load-dependent increase in plantar pressure for hikers.
• These findings offer biomechanical support for limiting backpack weight to around 10% of body weight to mitigate plantar stress during hiking.