Effects of Personalized Insole on Foot Perception and Ankle Function in Walking / 医用生物力学

ABSTRACT

Objective Through the evaluation of subjective comfort and plantar pressure during walking, with the integration of subjective perception and biomechanical indexes, to explore the effect of personalized insole on foot perception and ankle function of normal foot. Methods Sixteen male subjects with normal foot types were recruited, and the visual analog scale (VAS) was used to evaluate the differences of subjective comfort index under the intervention of minimalist shoes and personalized insoles, and changes of time and plantar pressures at each stage of barefoot walking and walking with minimalist shoes and personalized insoles were analyzed by single factor repeated measurement variance. Multiple linear regression was used to screen the main indexes which affected the overall comfort of shoes during walking with minimalist shoes and personalized insoles. Results For measurement of plantar pressures, the gait support buffer stage of walking with shoes was higher than that of barefoot walking or walking with minimalist shoes(P<0.05), and the dynamic arch index (AI) of walking with personalized insole was higher than that of walking with minimalist shoes and barefoot walking(P<0.05). The dynamic AI during walking with minimalist shoes was higher than that of barefoot walking(P<0.05), and the proportion of foot impulse during walking with personalized insoles was higher than that during barefoot walking(P<0.05). When wearing shoes, the average slope for center of pressure (COP) trajectory was lower than that of barefoot walking, and the slope of COP trajectory of walking with personalized insoles was lower than that of walking with minimalist shoes(P<0.05). For evaluation of subjective comfort, the overall comfort, heel cushioning, front foot cushioning, arch support, forefoot wrapping and foot control of walking with personalized insoles were higher than those of walking with minimalist shoes(P<0.05). The results of linear regression showed that arch support and the proportion of middle foot impulse had significant influences on the overall comfort of walking with shoes(P<0.05). Conclusions Personalized insoles can improve the overall comfort of normal foot mainly through the influence of foot arch. After personalized insole is added, the cushioning ability and foot control ability of walking are improved, and force deviation of the foot on coronal axis is reduced. Feet-insoles-shoes jointly affect the perception of human feet, and insoles should be selected in many aspects, such as foot types, shoe conditions and insole materials.