New methods for evaluating physical and thermal comfort properties of orthotic materials used in insoles for patients with diabetes

1
New methods for evaluating physical and thermal
comfort properties oforthotic materials used in
insoles for patients with diabetes

• Wai Ting Lo Kit Lun Yick, PhD Sun Pui Ng, PhD
  Joanne Yip, PhD

2

• Aim
• Develop systematic methodology to quantitatively
  assess key properties of orthotic insole
  materials with regard to their practical use by
  people with diabetes.
• Relevance
• Choosing suitable insole material is vital for
  effective foot orthotic treatment.

3
Method

• Examined 7 types of orthotic materials.
• With accommodation, cushioning, and control of
  orthotic insoles in mind, we developed test
  methods for examining force reduction,
  compression, insole-skin friction, shear, and
  thermal comfort.
• We proposed a novel performance index that
  combines various material test results together
  to quantify overall performance of insole
  materials.

4
Results

• Insole-sock interface has lower coefficient of
  friction and shearing stress than insole-skin
  interface.
• Material brand and corresponding density and cell
  volume, as well as thickness, are closely
  associated with moisture absorption and thermal
  comfort.

5
Conclusion

• On basis of our proposed performance index,
  practitioners can better understand properties
  and performance of various insole materials, thus
  prescribing suitable orthotic insoles for
  patients with diabetic foot.