ANTHROPOMETRIC CHANGES IN THE FOOT OF A PREGNANT WOMAN

Abstract

The aim of this study is to investigate the anthropometric and biomechanical changes in women’s feet during pregnancy and the postpartum period, as well as to assess their impact on the design of the internal shoe form. The research included serial anthropometric measurements of the foot during the first, second, and third trimesters of pregnancy and six weeks after childbirth, evaluating the length, width, circumferences of the forefoot and midfoot, and the height of the longitudinal arch. Tensometric platforms and gait dynamics analysis were used to examine walking biomechanics and load distribution, allowing the identification of both morphological and functional changes in the foot. The results showed that pregnancy is accompanied by a decrease in the height of the longitudinal arch, an increase in foot length and width, larger circumferences of the forefoot and midfoot, as well as periodic swelling of the lower leg, especially in the third trimester. Biomechanical analysis revealed an increase in mean and peak plantar pressure, an expansion of the contact area, and a shift of the maximum pressure zones toward the forefoot. After childbirth, most parameters return to their baseline values; however, some women retain residual changes in foot shape and size. The scientific novelty of this work lies in the comprehensive approach to assessing the impact of morphological and biomechanical changes in the foot during pregnancy and the early postpartum period on the internal shoe form.