Optimising insoles for pressure offloading
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Optimisation of custom insoles for pressure relief in patients with diabetes via finite element modelling
IRAS ID
168259
Contact name
Scott Telfer
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Glasgow Caledonian University
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 9 months, 1 days
Research summary
Individuals with diabetes and peripheral neuropathy have no or little protective sensation in their feet. This, combined with repeated stresses on the areas around bony prominences where protective tissues have been displaced or have had their mechanical properties altered by the disease, puts them at a high risk of developing a foot ulcer, which is a highly debilitating and expensive problem that can ultimately lead to amputation and increased mortality.
Recent recommendations by the International Working Group on the Diabetic Foot have suggested that therapeutic footwear including a custom insole designed to offload pressure from potential ulceration sites should be the preferred intervention for individuals who have been identified as being “at risk” of developing a foot ulcer. However, the subjective methods commonly used to design these insoles means that there is great variability in the pressure offloading performance of these devices and therefore their overall effectiveness.
This study is designed to investigate if using computational simulations to optimise the design of the insoles to the individual prior to its manufacture will improve the offloading performance of these devices when compared to insoles designed using traditional methods.
REC name
West of Scotland REC 4
REC reference
14/WS/1150
Date of REC Opinion
22 Jan 2015
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion