PaperRelationship between plantar pressure distribution under the foot and insole comfort
Abstract
In this paper, four pairs of insoles with different comfort characteristics were used to investigate the relationship between the pressure distribution under the foot and running shoe comfort. Fourteen male subjects were tested in four insole conditions by walking and running on a treadmill. The pressure at the plantar surface of the foot was measured by using an EMED pressure-measuring insole. For walking there were significantly higher pressures and forces in the midfoot area and significantly lower pressures in the medial forefoot and hallux area by wearing the most comfortable insole compared with wearing the least comfortable insole. The shift of the pressure from forefoot to midfoot for the most comfortable insole provided an even distribution of the pressure at the plantar surface of the foot. The results also demonstrated that the path of centre of force at the plantar surface of the foot moved to the lateral aspect of the foot for the most comfortable insole. For running, only the pressure in the medial forefoot area was found significantly lower for the most comfortable insole than for the least comfortable insole. The results of this study indicated that the pressure distribution between the plantar surface of the foot and the shoe could detect the change of shoe comfort. Thus it is a suggestion that pressure measurement may be related to understand factors important for shoe comfort.
Comfort of sport shoes is important for the appropriate execution of sport activities. Additionally, comfort may influence fatigue and possibly the development of injuries. The quantification of comfort of sport shoes and the understanding of mechanical and/or biological functions related to it may be enhanced with the use of pressure measurements between the plantar surface of the foot and the shoe sole.
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Cited by (127)
Autonomic responses to pressure sensitivity of head, face and neck: Heart rate and skin conductance
2024, Applied ErgonomicsSubjective scales are frequently used in the design process of head-related products to assess pressure discomfort. Nevertheless, some users lack fundamental cognitive and motor abilities (e.g., paralyzed patients). Therefore, it is vital to find non-verbal measurements of pressure discomfort and pressure pain. This study gathered the autonomic response data (heart rate and skin conductance) of 30 landmarks in head, neck and face from 31 participants experiencing pressure discomfort and pressure pain. The results indicate that pressure stimulation can change heart rate (HR) and skin conductance (SC). SC can be more useful in assessing pressure discomfort than HR for specific landmarks, and SC also possesses a faster arousal rate than HR. Moreover, HR decreased in response to pressure stimulation, while SC decreased followed by an increase. In comparisons between genders, the subjective pressure discomfort threshold (PDT) and pressure pain threshold (PPT) of women were lower than those of men, but men's autonomic responses (HR and SC) were more intense. Furthermore, there was no linear correlation between subjective pressure thresholds (PDT and PPT) and autonomic response intensity. This study has significant implications for resolving ergonomic issues (pressure discomfort and pain) associated with head-related products.
Smart passive gait retraining intervention via pebbles for reducing peak plantar pressure: Short-term results
2023, Medicine in Novel Technology and DevicesRecently, there has been a growing interest in gait retraining to alter the gait parameters of different populations. In these gait retraining, peak plantar pressure (PPP) was considered as an important parameter of the foot biomechanics. It has been found that high PPP correlates to the common foot deformities including pes planus/cavus. However, previous studies utilized excessive electronics in gait retraining, which is challenging to implement daily especially when device cleaning, flexibility and portability are considered. Therefore, this study investigated feasibility of a novel unpowered gait retraining for reducing high PPP. Twelve potential participants identified for investigation through a baseline PPP evaluation with Novel Pedar-x system. Participants received a single session for the gait retraining with pebbles in the form of rigid spherical inserts (RSI) placed in locations of high PPP inside the deformable insole. This provides tactile cues alerting the participants to alter their gait to reduce excess PPP. The PPP values were tracked in weekly follow-up sessions for 6 weeks. The results demonstrated that participants responded to RSI altering their gait to reduce PPP and maximum force by 14% and 10.5% after six weeks respectively. This study is valuable for physicians in reducing PPP when non-electronics are required.
Functional field protocol to optimize the choice of footwear on synthetic turf in rugby
2021, Science and SportsCitation Excerpt :Recent studies carried out on rugby players and soccer players has pointed out the interest of this kind of approach in terms of injury prevention [6,7] and performances [8]. These results have been confirmed by objective measures combining comfort and plantar pressure [16,24–27]. Our approach is based on a subjective comparative analysis of the influence of footwear and its characteristics using a standardized functional protocol on targeted synthetic turf among professional rugby players.
To avoid injuries and keep up their performances, rugby players have to make relevant choices of footwear adapted to their individual specificities as well as to the type of turf and playing conditions. The diversity and heterogeneity of playing surfaces on which modern rugby is played make this choice all the more complicated. This study examines the relevance of a comparative functional protocol for a subjective assessment of footwear as well as the influence of the technical characteristics of different shoe models.
Forty-two professional rugby players were tested on synthetic turf. They performed a series of controlled characteristic movements of rugby (jump reception, straight running, change of direction) with different shoe models. Procedure ended with a standardized subjective comparison of models including 7 criteria.
Comparative tests between models tested for each player brought to significant differences (P < 0.05). Technical properties of the models having received the most favorable assessments were: screwed or hybrid cleats, aluminum cleats, circular cleat design and existence of arch support.
This protocol seems to be a relevant tool to help rugby players to choose the type of shoes according to their individual specificities and pitch conditions. What's more, results shed new light on the kind of cleats to be preferred on synthetic turf.
Afin d’éviter éviter les blessures et maintenir leurs performances, les joueurs de rugby doivent faire des choix pertinents en matière de chaussage, adaptés à leurs spécificités individuelles, au type de terrain et aux conditions de jeu. La diversité et l’hétérogénéité des surfaces de jeu sur lesquelles le rugby moderne se pratique rendent ce choix d’autant plus compliqué. Cette étude examine la pertinence d’un protocole fonctionnel comparatif d’évaluation subjective du chaussage ainsi que l’influence des caractéristiques techniques des différents modèles de chaussures.
Quarante-deux joueurs de rugby professionnels ont été testés sur une pelouse synthétique. Ils ont effectué une série de mouvements contrôlés caractéristiques du rugby (réception de sauts, course en ligne droite, changements de direction) avec différents modèles de chaussures. La procédure se terminait par une comparaison subjective standardisée des modèles incluant 7 critères.
Les tests comparatifs entre les modèles testés par chaque joueur ont permis de mettre en évidence des différences significatives (p < 0,05). Les caractéristiques techniques des modèles ayant reçu les appréciations les plus favorables sont les suivantes: crampons vissés ou hybrides, crampons en aluminium, géométrie de crampons circulaires et existence d’un support de voûte plantaire.
Ce protocole semble être un outil pertinent permettant d’aider les joueurs de rugby à choisir le type de chaussures en fonction de leurs spécificités et des conditions de terrain. De plus, les résultats ont apporté un nouvel éclairage sur le type de crampons à privilégier sur pelouse synthétique.
An individually moulded insole with 5-mm medial arch support reduces peak impact and loading at the heel after a one-hour treadmill run
2020, Gait and PostureFoot pain experienced by long-distance runners could be relieved by functional insoles which aim at evenly distributing the plantar pressure.
We hypothesised that an individually moulded insole with medial arch support would reduce the impact and loading under the heel and metatarsal regions.
Twelve male recreational runners ran on a treadmill at 10 km/h for 1 hour with flat insoles and medial arch supported insoles. A pressure insole system (Novel Pedar, Germany) was used to obtain the peak pressure, peak force, time normalised pressure-time integrals, and the percentage of the total force-time integrals under 10 regions.
Medial arch supported insoles reduced the peak force under the heel (medial: -15.3%, p = 0.001; lateral: -19.2%, p = 0.037) during the initial run, and reduced peak pressure under the heel (medial: -13.3%, p = 0.005; lateral: -9.9%, p = 0.006), and peak force under the medial heel (-17.8%, p = 0.006) after the run. The percentage of the total force-time integrals under the heel was reduced (medial: -23.8%, p = 0.004; lateral: -13.6%, p = 0.022) after the run. No significant difference was found under the metatarsal regions. There is shift of load from the metatarsal regions to the medial mid-foot as indicated by the change of the percentage of total force-time integrals.
Medial arch supported insoles were effective in reducing the impact and loading under the heel region in prolonged running on a treadmill.
Controlled laboratory study, Level V
Immediate effects of using insoles with various wedges on center of pressure indices and comfort rating during load lifting
2020, International Journal of Industrial ErgonomicsOrthotic devices like insoles are widely used to prevent or correct deformities and improve performance. The aim of present study was to investigate immediate effects of using insoles with various wedges on center of pressure (COP) indices and comfort rating during load lifting. Thirty able-bodied males participated in this quasi-experimental study. Repeated measures analysis of variance test with a Bonferroni correction (P < 0.0014) was used to compare dependent variables among nine insole wedge conditions. The results showed these significant differences: anterior-lateral wedge with anterior and medial wedges for standard deviation of COPx values; anterior-lateral wedge with non-wedge, posterior, lateral and posterior-medial wedges for standard deviation of COPy velocity values; anterior-lateral wedge with anterior and posterior-medial wedges for total mean velocity of COP values (P = 0.001). Also, the anterior-lateral wedge tended to increase in other COP indices and decrease in comfort rating compared to other wedges. Also, a significant negative relation between comfort rating and almost all COP indices was observed during load lifting (P < 0.05). These findings show that using anterior-lateral wedge for insole creates less stability and comfortability which may introduce as a non-optimal condition for insole designation. These results can be useful for designation of shoe or insole for work environments.
Acute effect of engineered thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer knockoff running footwear on foot loading and comfort during heel-to-toe running
2020, Gait and PostureBetter midsole materials and comfort have been incorporated into more expensive shoes and are popular with runners. Consequently, knockoff running shoes are currently widely distributed in the Chinese market and and cost only 30%–50% of the total price of genuine branded products.
Uncertainty exists concerning the beneficial effects of advanced shoe material application in decreasing foot loading or impact force during running. Additionally, using comfort as a criterion to identify genuine branded running shoes may exclude brand factor.
Fifteen healthy male volunteers were asked to perform two different tests, including running and a comfort evaluation. Each participant was asked to identify which footwear was the Adidas brand shoe based on their perception of comfort.
Time to the first peak of the vertical ground reaction force occurred significantly later when subjects wore the genuine branded shoe compared to knockoff shoe 1 (p = 0.003) and knockoff shoe 2 (p = 0.015) footwea. The genuine branded shoe (p = 0.005) and knockoff shoe 1 (p = 0.029) were significantly more comfortable compared to the knockoff shoe 2. Only four subjects selected the genuine branded shoe, whereas six subjects selected both the genuine branded shoe and knockoff shoe 1.
Knockoff running footwear significantly increases impact loading compared to the genuine branded product, thereby posing greater risk of running injury.