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Sensitivity of Metatarsal Pad Placement and Size on Plantar Pressure Reduction, Assisting Clinical Design Making
Sachin P. Budhabhatti, Ahmet Erdemir, and Peter R. Cavanagh
Cleveland Clinic, USA
The objective of this study was to use computational modeling to predict in-shoe pressures and examine the effect of metatarsal (MT) pad placement and size on forefoot pressures during walking. This approach has the potential of optimizing MT pad design as well as evaluating other therapeutic footwear interventions.
For this purpose, FE models of foot, shoe (insole and outsole), and 3 different sizes of MT pad (small, medium, and large) were created. Physiological loads were applied to the in-shoe foot model and validation was conducted against the experimental results using a novel optimization technique. The Abaqus FEA product suite was used to conduct sensitivity analysis of each MT pad by placing them at intervals of 5 mm in the anterior-posterior and medio-lateral direction. It was found that a large MT pad placed at 5 mm proximal to the peak pressure site was most effective in reducing peak pressures (20% w.r.t in-shoe foot w/o MT pad condition).
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