Design and development of diabetic footwear

Abstract

Background: Diabetic shoes, which are commonly referred to as therapeutic shoes and extra depth shoes, can be categorized under comfort shoes or orthopedic shoes. The purpose of these specially designed footwear options is to preserve and improve foot health by reducing the risk of skin breakdown for those diagnosed with diabetes and suffering from foot abnormalities or deformities. Improper and poorly fitting footwear can cause problems such as calluses, ulcers and blisters that can lead to infection and ultimately even amputation.

Objectives: To decrease footwear problems by designing and developing diabetics and orthopedics footwear. To design, simulate and manufacture a diabetic shoe and to contribute to the further development of diabetic footwear as reasonable products for the consumer market.

Methods: The design process involved of calculating and optimizing the orthotic insole thickness which has a direct effect on the performance of the shoe. Elasticity theory is applied and the optimum insole thickness is determined based on the critical properties of resilience and compressive stiffness. Furthermore, a SOLIDWORKS static simulation is done and demonstrated that the calculated insole thickness can be effectively used in the production of the shoe. Finally, a case study is done by selecting a 27-year-old study subject with diabetic foot problems and producing a shoe that matches her.

Results: Under the assumption of a constant maximum compressive force, a rigorous theoretical analysis showed that the diabetic shoe should be constructed from an insole material with a minimum thickness of 6.66mm. A SOLIDWORKS static simulation showed that, under the application of a maximum compressive force, the maximum compression of the insole material is about 0.211mm. This proves that the insole material has the right resilience and compressive stiffness for the thickness computed.

Conclusion: This study proved that the produced shoe is indeed comfortable and effective for peoples with diabetics.