Dr. Clifford Jeng of The Institute for Foot & Ankle Reconstruction Discusses Pedobarograph for Gait Analysis

New technology is helping doctors take a closer look at feet. There's a machine that can measure the pressure of your foot hitting the ground, one step at a time.

Foot aches and pains began for Jane Noble at least a decade ago.

"My foot problems started way back in the military when I was wearing combat boots and I was constantly carrying a lot of heavy machinery," Noble said.

Ten years ago, she had surgery to fix her flat foot on one side. Five years later, it was the same fix on the other foot.

Now, it’s the front of her foot that’s her problem.

"I feel like there’s stone in my foot. You’re walking on this lump on your foot and it feels like a stone, and over time your shoes will get that indentation in your shoe and you’re hitting the ground very soon," Noble said.

Each time, Dr. Clifford Jeng, medical director of The Institute for Foot and Ankle Reconstruction at Mercy Medical Center, helped Noble get back up and running. This time, he has a new tool as he plans his surgery.

"You take a perfect digital image of your footprint in the wet sand and it’s called a pedobarograph. And this sensor, this mat, has 8,500 sensors in it that can detect things like high pressure areas or postural deformities that could be corrected by surgery," Dr. Jeng said.

As Noble steps on the mat, the image is captured by a computer for Dr. Jeng to analyze.

"I just saw on her scanner, she has a lot of pressure under her first metatarsal and, as well, her second metatarsal. So, I’m going to be a little more careful about relieving the pressure under the first metatarsal, so I don’t overload the second metatarsal correction," Dr. Jeng said.

According to Dr. Jeng,  it is the scientific research model, so they’ll be doing a lot of research studies with it. As for Noble, she hopes to be wearing her favorite shoes again very soon.

 To view Mercy foot and ankle surgeon Dr. Clifford Jeng’s interview about the pedobarograph and gait analysis, click here.