Anthropometric and Biomechanical Analysis of the Infant Foot

University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria1,216 enrolled

Overview

In the era of science and technology, footwear has become not only an essential item of clothing, but also another tool for the optimal development of children, the improvement of work and sports performance or the prevention and treatment of pathologies. The anthropometric characteristics of the child's foot differ considerably from those of the adult foot, in fact, it is not until the age of 18-19 years that the structure of the foot is finally consolidated. Therefore, it is essential that footwear manufacturers know these characteristics to achieve an adequate design. Current scientific evidence highlights the importance of considering the unique morphology of the infant foot, as well as the high functional demands to which footwear is subjected at these ages. There is a lack of studies that analyze in detail the shape of the child's foot.

Given that the data we have so far comes from studies that are not very current and on small samples, there is a need to update these variables to transfer these results to the productive fabric. Therefore, the objective of this research is to carry out an anthropometric and biomechanical analysis of the infant foot in order to use these data in the creation of a standard last that respects its morphology. Subsequently, said last will be subjected to different fit tests to verify its correct adaptation to the foot in this population group.

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

Purpose

DIAGNOSTIC

Masking

NONE

Enrollment

1,216

Conditions

Child, Only

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 12 MonthsMax age: 15 YearsHealthy volunteers:

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: * School-age boys and girls with foot sizes between 20 and 41 * Attending school and belonging to public, private or concerted schools, to guarantee the variability of the sample in terms of type of school. Exclusion Criteria: * Present a severe structural or functional alteration of the foot, which prevents an adequate digitization of the foot and ankle with the hardware and software used to collect the samples. * Not having the signature of the informed consent or express authorization of the parents or legal guardians to carry out the measurement and the subsequent processing of the data. * Inability to stand or walk independently. * Present crying or fear, not being cooperative or engaging in inappropriate behavior.

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Shoe test

Using different reference points of the foot, the areas to be measured will be measured in millimeters. They are collected by digitizing the foot and ankle of each person, using the 3D scanner and the IcadPie Software.

Time frame: Up to 3 month

Plantar pressure

Based on sensory technology, the sensors are placed along a fixed platform, connected via a universal serial bus cable to a computer and appropriate software. The sensors, by supporting pressure, generate a potential difference that can be measured. This electrical voltage value is detected by the sensors themselves, and a computer program reinterprets it in the form of a graph with the captured values. The graph consists of a plantar footprint with a range of colors, according to the relative baropressure captured. This instrument would provide us with quantifiable data about how load patterns behave in bare feet and shoes, in order to establish useful comparisons in our study