title: Heel-region properties of prosthetic feet and shoes.
abstract: The properties of the prosthetic components prescribed to amputees have the potential to ameliorate or exacerbate their comfort, mobility, and health. To measure the difference in heel-region structural properties of currently available prosthetic feet and shoes, we simulated the period of initial heel-ground contact with a pendulum apparatus. The energy dissipation capacity of the various prosthetic feet ranged from 33.6% to 52.6% of the input energy. Donning a shoe had a large effect. Energy dissipation of a Seattle Lightfoot 2 prosthetic foot was 45.3%, while addition of a walking, running, and orthopedic shoe increased energy dissipation to 63.0%, 73.0%, and 82.4%, respectively. The force versus deformation response to impact was modeled as a hardening spring in parallel with a position-dependent damping element. A nonlinear least-squares curve fit produced model coefficients useful for predicting the heel-region impact response of both prosthetic feet and shoes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterans Affairs, Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, WA 98108-1597, USA. gklute@u.washington.edu
authors.forename: Glenn K
authors.initials: GK
authors.lastname: Klute
authors.forename: Jocelyn S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Berge
authors.forename: Ava D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Segal
mesh_terms: D000671:Amputation, Surgical / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D001186:Artificial Limbs; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D005528:Foot; D006365:Heel; D006801:Humans; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D011474:Prosthesis Design; D012775:Shoes