Heel skin stiffness effect on the hind foot biomechanics during heel strike
Abstract
The human heel pad is a complex biological structure consisting of the fat pad and the skin. The mechanical properties of the skin layer are of significant importance to the load-bearing function of the heel pad and human locomotion. The condition of the heel skin is also directly associated with some medical conditions such as heel ulcers that may become a site for the skin breakdown, which is the most common precursor to lower extremity amputation among persons with diabetes. It is essential to develop a detailed understanding of the properties of the heel skin layer and its effect on hind foot biomechanics during heel strike. This work aims to gain a better insight into the biomechanical behaviour of the heel skin layer through a combined experimental and numerical study. The main objective is to characterise the biomechanical responses of the hind foot system during heel strike with potential variation of the skin stiffness based on a subject-specific finite element (FE) model and biomechanical testing. A three-dimensional (3D) FE model of the human hind foot incorporating a separate heel skin layer was developed based on subject-specific medical images. An inverse FE analysis of the in vivo indentation test was carried out...Continue Reading
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Biomechanics
Biomechanics examines the generation of internal forces within the body and investigates the effects and control of forces that act on or are produced on tissues. Here are the latest discoveries.