Chatzistergos Panagiotis E, Naemi Roozbeh, Healy Aoife, Gerth Peter, Chockalingam Nachiappan
School of Life Sciences and Education, Department of Sport and Exercise, Staffordshire University, Leek Road, Stoke-on-Trent, ST4 2DF, UK.
Magdeburg-Stendal University of Applied Sciences, Magdeburg, Germany.
Ann Biomed Eng. 2017 Aug;45(8):1929-1940. doi: 10.1007/s10439-017-1826-4. Epub 2017 May 9.
Current selection of cushioning materials for therapeutic footwear and orthoses is based on empirical and anecdotal evidence. The aim of this investigation is to assess the biomechanical properties of carefully selected cushioning materials and to establish the basis for patient-specific material optimisation. For this purpose, bespoke cushioning materials with qualitatively similar mechanical behaviour but different stiffness were produced. Healthy volunteers were asked to stand and walk on materials with varying stiffness and their capacity for pressure reduction was assessed. Mechanical testing using a surrogate heel model was employed to investigate the effect of loading on optimum stiffness. Results indicated that optimising the stiffness of cushioning materials improved pressure reduction during standing and walking by at least 16 and 19% respectively. Moreover, the optimum stiffness was strongly correlated to body mass (BM) and body mass index (BMI), with stiffer materials needed in the case of people with higher BM or BMI. Mechanical testing confirmed that optimum stiffness increases with the magnitude of compressive loading. For the first time, this study provides quantitative data to support the importance of stiffness optimisation in cushioning materials and sets the basis for methods to inform optimum material selection in the clinic.
目前，治疗性鞋类和矫形器缓冲材料的选择基于经验和传闻证据。本研究的目的是评估精心挑选的缓冲材料的生物力学特性，并为针对患者的材料优化奠定基础。为此，制作了具有定性相似力学行为但刚度不同的定制缓冲材料。要求健康志愿者在不同刚度的材料上站立和行走，并评估其减压能力。使用替代足跟模型进行力学测试，以研究加载对最佳刚度的影响。结果表明，优化缓冲材料的刚度可使站立和行走过程中的减压效果分别提高至少16%和19%。此外，最佳刚度与体重（BM）和体重指数（BMI）密切相关，体重或BMI较高的人需要更硬的材料。力学测试证实，最佳刚度随压缩载荷的大小而增加。本研究首次提供了定量数据，以支持缓冲材料刚度优化的重要性，并为临床中指导最佳材料选择的方法奠定了基础。
