Foot Pressure in Rheumatoid Arthritis

A statistical study of weight distribution on the plantar surface of 46 feet of 23 RA patients, including 9 feet that Clayton's operation had been previously performed on, was carried out by the prescale method. Twenty normal feet were measured for comparison by the same procedure. These estimations were computerized for analysis. Postoperative patients of Clayton's procedure showed a pressure 48% less than that of the non-operated group, so that the weight distribution appeared to be relatively normal. On normal feet, a predominantly high potential appearance was not observed except on the hind-ends of the foot. However, in RA patients, a predominately high potential figure appeared in metatarsal heads, especially in the area of the llnd and IIIrd metatarsal heads.