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Researchers at the Indian Institute of Science created footwear that can self-regulate the pressure distribution when a person walks, helping to avoid pain and friction that can lead to issues for people with diabetes. Patients with diabetes can have an abnormal gait, sometimes because of pain or numbness in the extremities, potentially leading to complications such as foot ulcers when shoes rub or otherwise damage feet. These new shoes contain several arches that snap back into position when pressure that exceeds a certain level is applied, helping to distribute the pressure evenly and avoiding excessive pressure and friction on any one part of the foot.<\/p>\n<\/noscript><\/figure>\nPatients with diabetes often experience a loss of sensation in the feet because of diabetic peripheral neuropathy, and this can affect their gait. With a healthy modern gait, the heel strikes the ground first, followed by the ball of the foot and the toes, and this helps to evenly spread the pressure over the whole foot.<\/p>\n\n<\/noscript><\/figure>\n<\/div>\nHowever, for those with diabetic peripheral neuropathy this gait can be disrupted, leading to abnormal pressure in specific areas. Over time, this can lead to issues such as foot ulcers, which can be particularly bad because of the underlying diabetes. To combat this, these specially developed shoes contain numerous arches that can respond to the pressure of walking and help to redistribute it. The arches \u201csnap\u201d into an inverted shape when they encounter too much pressure.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n\u201cWhen we remove the pressure, [the arch] will automatically come back to its initial position \u2013 this is what is called self-offloading,\u201d said Priyabrata Maharana, a researcher involved in the study. \u201cWe consider the individual\u2019s weight, foot size, walking speed and pressure distribution to arrive at the maximum force that has to be off-loaded.\u201d<\/p>\nThe researchers claim that their solution is more effective than existing designs, some of which employ memory foam to make shoes less abrasive. \u201cThere are a lot of commercial shoe manufacturers selling costly footwear in the name of giving comfort using what they call memory foam, but we have tested them, and they don\u2019t have the required characteristics,\u201d said GK Ananthasuresh, another researcher involved in the study. \u201cThis footwear can be used not only by people suffering from diabetic neuropathy, but by others as well.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\nOne of the strengths of the system is its simplicity. \u201cThis is a mechanical solution to a problem,\u201d said Ananthasuresh. \u201cMost of the time, people use electromechanical solutions. Such solutions involve using sensors and actuators that can rack up the price of the footwear and make them very expensive.\u201d<\/p>\nStudy in Wearable Technologies<\/em>: Self-offloading therapeutic footwear using compliant snap-through arches<\/p>\nVia: Indian Institute of Science<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Patients with diabetes often experience a loss of sensation in the feet because of diabetic peripheral neuropathy, and this can affect their gait. With a healthy modern gait, the heel strikes the ground first, followed by the ball of the foot and the toes, and this helps to evenly spread the pressure over the whole foot.<\/p>\n
However, for those with diabetic peripheral neuropathy this gait can be disrupted, leading to abnormal pressure in specific areas. Over time, this can lead to issues such as foot ulcers, which can be particularly bad because of the underlying diabetes. To combat this, these specially developed shoes contain numerous arches that can respond to the pressure of walking and help to redistribute it. The arches \u201csnap\u201d into an inverted shape when they encounter too much pressure.<\/p>\n
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\u201cWhen we remove the pressure, [the arch] will automatically come back to its initial position \u2013 this is what is called self-offloading,\u201d said Priyabrata Maharana, a researcher involved in the study. \u201cWe consider the individual\u2019s weight, foot size, walking speed and pressure distribution to arrive at the maximum force that has to be off-loaded.\u201d<\/p>\n
The researchers claim that their solution is more effective than existing designs, some of which employ memory foam to make shoes less abrasive. \u201cThere are a lot of commercial shoe manufacturers selling costly footwear in the name of giving comfort using what they call memory foam, but we have tested them, and they don\u2019t have the required characteristics,\u201d said GK Ananthasuresh, another researcher involved in the study. \u201cThis footwear can be used not only by people suffering from diabetic neuropathy, but by others as well.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
One of the strengths of the system is its simplicity. \u201cThis is a mechanical solution to a problem,\u201d said Ananthasuresh. \u201cMost of the time, people use electromechanical solutions. Such solutions involve using sensors and actuators that can rack up the price of the footwear and make them very expensive.\u201d<\/p>\n
Study in Wearable Technologies<\/em>: Self-offloading therapeutic footwear using compliant snap-through arches<\/p>\nVia: Indian Institute of Science<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Via: Indian Institute of Science<\/p>\n
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