# Can Foot Orthoses Prevent Falls? A Proposal for a New Evaluation Protocol
## 3 Results
### BMI Analysis
#### 3.2.1. Sway Area  
Figure 5 shows the sway area obtained for the two different classes. In particular, in Figure 5A,B, better balance stability and tighter variability characterize the normal class BMI group. On the contrary, the higher BMI group displays slightly higher median sway area values and more variability in terms of wider InterQuartile Ranges (IQRs). Considering different time points, there is a decrease in the median value sway area from t0 to t2, suggesting an improvement in stability over time. Compared to the EO condition, in the EC condition, the median values for the sway area are slightly higher for both BMI groups, reflecting the impact of removing the visual input on stability.  
In Figure 5C, the tandem box-plot graph is showed. In this position, both BMI groups show significantly higher sway area values compared to EO and EC (normal class--t0: EO vs. T, \(p\) < 0.0001, EC vs. T, \(p\) = 0.0001; t1: EO vs. T, \(p\) < 0.0001, EC vs. T, \(p\) < 0.001; and t2: EO vs. T, \(p\) < 0.001, EC vs. T, \(p\) < 0.001; obese class--t0: EO vs. T, \(p\) < 0.001, EC vs. T, \(p\) < 0.05; t1: EO vs. T, \(p\) < 0.01, EC vs. T, \(p\) < 0.01, EC vs. T, \(p\) < 0.01; and t2: EO vs. T, \(p\) < 0.01). A smaller median sway area and tighter IQRs could be seen in the normal class. However, the higher BMI group shows wider IQRs, indicating greater variability and difficulty maintaining balance. Both groups show a slight reduction in median sway area values from t0 to t2.  
As could be seen in Figure 5, across all three tests considered, i.e., EO, EC, and tandem, in the group with higher BMI values, we can observe a greater median; this suggests increased difficulty in maintaining balance for these subjects. Analyzing the graphs, it is evident that there are no significant differences between the eyes-open and eyes-closed conditions in terms of the mean, median, or data variation except a slight increment. Nevertheless, the eyes-closed condition shows a higher presence of outliers. In the tandem position, median values are higher compared to both eyes-open and eyes-closed conditions. Considering the differences between the measurements at the three selected time points, we can observe that in most cases, the values at the time point t1 are higher with respect to the other two. This suggests an adaptation to the use of the insole.  
Figure 3: Sway pathAP calculated at the three different time points of all the patients ((**A**) under the eyes-open condition; (**B**) under the eyes-closed condition; and (**C**) under the tandem condition).  
Figure 4: Sway pathML calculated at the three different time points of all the patients ((**A**) under the eyes-open condition; (**B**) under the eyes-closed condition; and (**C**) under the tandem condition).  
Figure 5: Sway areas calculated at the three different time points for the patients divided with respect to the BMI ((**A**) under the eyes-open condition; (**B**) under the eyes-closed condition, and (**C**) under the tandem condition).  
In conclusion, the data indicate that the higher BMI and more challenging balance conditions, particularly in the tandem standing position, are associated with increased sway areas, pointing to potential challenges in postural stability for individuals with an elevated BMI. Across all conditions, there is a variation in sway areas between the time points (t0, t1, and t2). However, these differences appear relatively minimal, suggesting that sway areas might not dramatically change over time or with the intervention being measured.