Numerical Simulation of Pressure Distribution for Structural Design of Diabetic Footwear Insoles

Author(s): Matthew Sin-hang Leung, Kit-lun Yick, Yue Sun, and Sun-pui Ng

Diabetic foot ulcerations or open wounds that cannot heal on the feet are a serious condition for people who have diabetic mellitus, as they might face lower limb amputation if the wounds are not well cared. Here, we propose braced frame structure insoles with traditional insole material to further reduce the shear stress and contact pressure at the plantar-insole surface to reduce the risk of foot injury. Finite element models (FEMs) are developed to evaluate the structural changes of the developed braced frame structure upon exertion of compressive forces. Also, the effect of different braced frame structures on the shear stress, contact area as well as maximum contact force of the plantar are analysed through a finite element analysis (FEA). The result of the validated FEMs show that the proposed structure reduces the shear stress (~21%) and maximum contact force (~55%) more than traditional diabetic insoles.