How is pressure mapping done?

Author: SCIRE Community Team | Reviewer: Shannon Sproule | Published: 18 October 2017 | Updated: ~

Pressure map placed on a wheelchair (left), flexible pressure map (center), and diagram of pressure of a person’s buttocks in sitting (right). Areas of pressure are indicated from high pressures in red (around the sit bones) to lower pressures in blue.1

Pressure map placed on a wheelchair (left), flexible pressure map (center), and diagram of pressure of a person’s buttocks in sitting (right). Areas of pressure are indicated from high pressures in red (around the sit bones) to lower pressures in blue.3

A flexible mat containing pressure sensors is placed on the surface to be tested. The person being assessed then sits on the mat. Information about pressure between their body and the seat is picked up by sensors in the mat and sent to a computer, where it is translated into a color coded diagram.

The diagram displays the pressure recorded at each sensor in the mat by number and displays areas of high and low pressure with different colors. A clinician then determines the corresponding areas on the body through a hands-on physical examination. This technique is used together with other assessments of pressure sore risk to make recommendations for reducing areas of high pressure. There may be variation in the procedures used for pressure mapping in different settings.