• Tae Im Yi, Eun Chae Lee, Nak Hoon Son, and Min Kyun Sohn.
• Rehabilitation Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Yongin Severance Hospital, Yongin, Korea. taeim@yuhs.ac.
• Yonsei Med. J. 2022 Sep 1; 63 (9): 864-872.

PurposeMetatarsal pads are prescribed to decrease forefoot plantar pressure. However, the appropriate metatarsal pad placement location remains a debated issue. We aimed to identify the most effective insole design that reduces forefoot plantar pressure and determine the optimal position for metatarsal pad placement.Materials And MethodsWe recruited 16 healthy adult volunteers, and measured their plantar pressure data during walking while using an in-shoe system. The volunteers were randomly assigned to one of four insole conditions: 1/16-inch insole (i.e., control), 1/4-inch soft plastazote (SP) flat insole, metatarsal pad positioned proximal to the metatarsal head (MTH) on the control insole (P0), and metatarsal pad positioned 10 mm distal from the proximal border of the MTH on the control insole (P10). A masking protocol was created by dividing the forefoot into three subareas, distal to the MTH (dMTH), beneath to the MTH (bMTH), and proximal to the MTH (pMTH). The participants reported their comfort level for each insole using a visual analog scale.ResultsThe SP flat insole and metatarsal pads both had a forefoot plantar pressure-reducing effect and provided insole comfort. Of the three insole designs, the SP flat insole was the most effective. No clear difference existed in efficacy in terms of the location of the metatarsal pad placement.ConclusionConsidering the possibility of discomfort caused by improper metatarsal pad placement, the SP that increases shock absorption may be more clinically useful.© Copyright: Yonsei University College of Medicine 2022.

12 keywords...

hide…