A Portable Insole System for Actively Controlled Offloading of Plantar Pressure for Diabetic Foot Care

Area of Science:

• Biomechanics
• Biomedical Engineering
• Podiatry

Background:

• Plantar pressure monitoring is crucial for preventing injuries, particularly in high-risk groups like individuals with diabetic foot.
• Pneumatic insoles offer innovative solutions for managing and mitigating plantar pressure.
• Developing effective pressure management systems is vital for at-risk populations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate a variable pressure pneumatic insole system for plantar pressure monitoring, stabilization, and offloading.
• To assess the insole's efficacy in redistributing plantar pressure and reducing peak pressures under static and dynamic conditions.
• To validate the pneumatic insole's pressure measurements against a gold-standard system (pedar®).

Main Methods:

• Development of a pneumatic insole with variable pressure capabilities.
• Testing under static and dynamic conditions, including pre- and post-pressure stabilization/offloading.
• Validation using agreement analysis comparing the novel insole with the pedar® system.

Main Results:

• Static tests showed pressure stabilization reduced heel pressure by 32.43%, with offloading achieving a 42.72% reduction.
• Dynamic tests indicated a trend of reduced peak pressure in the heel, metatarsals, and toes.
• High agreement between the pneumatic insole and pedar® system: 96.32% (static) and 94.02% (dynamic).

Conclusions:

• The developed pneumatic insole effectively redistributes and reduces plantar pressure, especially in static conditions.
• The system's high measurement agreement validates its reliability for plantar pressure management.
• This technology shows promise as a tool for preventing plantar lesions in at-risk individuals.