Finite Element Analysis into the Foot - Footwear Interaction Using EVA Footwear Foams

Abstract

Diabetic ulcers are the most common foot injuries leading to lower extremity amputation. Early detection and appropriate treatment of these ulcers may prevent up to 85 percent of amputations [1-3]. One of the most important defence in pressure off-loading and preventing recurrent ulcers is the proper footwear or orthotic intervention [4-7]. In order to achieve that, a biomechanical knowledge of forces and pressures under the foot play an important role in the assessment and treatment of various foot pathologies, and patients who are at risk or are experiencing variety of foot problem. The current study uses test material data and FEA to investigate the foot - footwear interaction and performance of two EVA footwear foams subjected to quasi - static and dynamic compressive loading. The aim is to obtain the peak stresses in the foot in the situation such as standing, walking, running and jumping. These stresses are very useful as they will enable to design suitable orthotic footwear, to reduce the amount of stress in the foot for those individuals such as diabetes. © International Federation of Medical and Biological Engineering 2009.