Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea (대한인간공학회지)

Ergonomics Society of Korea (대한인간공학회)
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The Effects of Insole Material and Hardness in Different Plantar Sites on the Comfort and Impact Absorption

발바닥 부위별 인솔 소재 및 경도 변화가 착화감과 충격 흡수에 미치는 영향

  • Ryu, Sihyun (Motion Innovation Center, Korea National Sport University) ;
  • Gil, Hojong (Motion Innovation Center, Korea National Sport University) ;
  • Kong, Sejin (LS Networks Co., Ltd. / R&D Center) ;
  • Choi, Yongsuk (LS Networks Co., Ltd. / R&D Center) ;
  • Ryu, Jiseon (Motion Innovation Center, Korea National Sport University) ;
  • Yoon, Sukhoon (Motion Innovation Center, Korea National Sport University) ;
  • Park, Sang Kyoon (Motion Innovation Center, Korea National Sport University)
  • 류시현 (한국체육대학교 모션이노베이션 센터) ;
  • 길호종 (한국체육대학교 모션이노베이션 센터) ;
  • 공세진 ((주)LS네트웍스 / R&D센터) ;
  • 최용석 ((주)LS네트웍스 / R&D센터) ;
  • 류지선 (한국체육대학교 모션이노베이션 센터) ;
  • 윤석훈 (한국체육대학교 모션이노베이션 센터) ;
  • 박상균 (한국체육대학교 모션이노베이션 센터)
  • Received : 2018.05.17
  • Accepted : 2018.08.06
  • Published : 2018.08.31
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Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the biomechanical effects of insole material and hardness in different plantar regions on the comfort and impact absorption during walking and to analyze the correlations between comfort and impact variables. Background: It is necessary to apply materials tailored to the functionalities of different plantar regions during different phases of the gait cycle: the rearfoot portion should absorb the impact force during the heel-contact phase, the midfoot portion should support the entire arch, and the forefoot portion should enhance the swing efficiency during the toe-off phase. Method: Twenty men in their twenties were recruited for the study (age: $23.4{\pm}2.7yrs$; height: $175.9{\pm}4.1cm$; weight: $72.9{\pm}9.4kg$). They wore insoles in random order. Pedar-X system (Novel GmbH, USA) and Treadmill (Instrumented treadmill, Bertec, USA) were used to measure the plantar pressure and ground reaction force. The walking speed was set at 1.3m/s and 1.7m/s. The sampling rate was set at 50Hz and 1,000Hz, respectively. For comfort testing, the subjects administered a questionnaire survey using the visual analogue scale (VAS) after walking 1km. Three insole models were tested: Insole A using a mixed material with shock-absorbing and anti-rebound components uniformly spread throughout the insole; Insole B and Insole C using sponge and ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA), respectively, as underlying material and strengthened with shock absorber in the rearfoot portion, high-hardness material in the midfoot portion, and anti-rebound function in the forefoot portion. The impulse, mean impact force, initial peak of ground reaction force, and loading rate were calculated. Results: First, Insole B significantly outscored Insole A in terms of the forefoot cushioning comfort (p<.05), with Insole B and C showing higher overall comfort scores compared with Insole A (p<.05). Second, Insole A showed higher mean impact force, initial and peak vertical ground reaction forces, and loading rate compared with Insoles B and C, but without reaching statistical significance. Third, Insole B and C showed statistically higher mean pressure in the midfoot portion compared with Insole A (p<.05). Conclusion: Positive effects in terms of comfort and impact absorption were demonstrated by the insoles fabricated with different materials and hardness tailored to the functionalities of different plantar regions in comparison with the conventional insoles using the uniform material throughout the insole. In particular, positive effects on overall comfort were found to be ascribable to the enhanced hardness in the midfoot portion, which supported the arch more efficiently and contributed to an even distribution of the overall pressure on the plantar. Application: The study results can be applied to insole development as follows: Insole material and hardness should be varied for different plantar regions, and shock absorber and high-hardness material should be used for the rearfoot and midfoot portions, respectively.

Keywords

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