Impact accelerations during a prolonged run using a microwavable self-customised foot orthosis

Area of Science:

• Biomechanics
• Sports Medicine
• Orthotics and Prosthetics

Background:

• Custom-made foot orthoses are known to reduce impact accelerations.
• The specific contribution of customisation versus prefabricated designs to these benefits remains unclear.
• Investigating novel self-customised orthotic technologies is crucial for understanding their efficacy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the effects of microwavable prefabricated self-customised foot orthoses versus standard prefabricated orthoses on impact accelerations during prolonged running.
• To determine if the customisation feature of thermoformable orthotics offers biomechanical advantages in reducing impact forces.

Main Methods:

• Thirty runners participated in a 30-minute treadmill running test under two conditions: self-customised orthoses and standard orthoses.
• Impact acceleration variables (tibial and head) were measured every 5 minutes.
• Key metrics included tibial peak, tibial magnitude, shock attenuation, and tibial rate.

Main Results:

• The self-customised orthoses initially increased tibial peak, tibial magnitude, and shock attenuation compared to standard orthoses.
• However, the self-customised orthoses exhibited a higher tibial rate throughout the entire running duration.
• Despite initial differences, the self-customised orthoses demonstrated greater stability over the 30-minute run.

Conclusions:

• The customisation achieved through the thermoformable material of the microwavable orthoses did not lead to improvements in impact acceleration reduction.
• The findings suggest that the self-customisation process in this first-generation orthotic does not confer biomechanical benefits over standard prefabricated options for runners.
• Further research into advanced customisation techniques or different orthotic designs may be warranted.