Article

Conventional heel lift with a flat surface increases the risk of foot problems
related to higher plantar pressure and decreased stability. In this study, an
optimized design of in-shoe heel lifts developed to maintain the midfoot function
was tested to investigate if the plantar pressure distribution was improved. The
design was based on three dimensional foot plantar contour which was captured by
an Infoot 3D scanning system while the heel was elevated by a heel wedge. To
facilitate midfoot function, an arch support was designed to support the lateral
longitudinal arch, while allowing functional movement of the medial longitudinal
arch. Twenty healthy male subjects were asked to walk along an 8m walkway while
wearing high-cut footwear with and without the optimized heel lift. Peak
pressure, contact area and force-time integral were measured using the Pedar
insole system. Range and velocity of medial-lateral center of pressure during
forefoot contact phase and foot flat phase were collected using a Footscan
pressure plate. Compared to the shoe only condition, peak pressure under the
rearfoot decreased with the optimized heel lift, while no increase of peak
pressure was observed under the forefoot and midfoot regions, indicating improved
plantar pressure distribution. The findings of this study suggest that this
optimized heel lift has better biomechanical performance than a conventional flat
heel lift. Results from this study may have implications for insole and shoe last
design, especially for people who need additional heel height without sacrificing
midfoot function.
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Langue : ANGLAIS