Mechanics of foot orthotics: material properties

Abstract

Orthotics have been utilised by clinicians for many years to treat foot-related abnormalities. With advancements in material sciences, the footwear industry started utilising synthetic materials which have better and suitable properties. Clinicians, who prescribe foot insoles, need to have an extensive understanding of the properties and characteristics of insole materials, to make informed decisions to meet the patients’ needs. This thesis showcases utilised techniques and systems to evaluate orthosis properties as well as current criteria to date. Researchers have utilised a variety of testing techniques to examine properties of insole materials including; bench testing, simulated in-shoe conditions, in-shoe testing, and finite element analysis. Even though, there is a great understanding of material properties with endless diverse composition and thicknesses of each material makes clinical recommendations on the choice of material an impossible task. As the footwear orthosis industry shifts the focus from material to design, some researchers explore various anisotropic materials to create a homogeneous insole that can support as well as relieve pressure on patient’s feet.

Keywords:

• Orthoses
• insole
• footwear
• orthotics
• mechanical design

Acknowledgement

The authors would like to thank the University of British Columbia and the NSERC/ENGAGE for financial support.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Note the Readers

Many of the results presented herein, and portions of the text, are borrowed from Emre Kermen's MASc thesis [57] and copyright permission was obtained from the owner.

Additional information

Funding

The present work was financially supported by Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.