Efficacy of PU foam materials for scientific investigation in footwear research

Abstract

Abstract People across the world are primarily concerned with the importance of inserts in footwear in terms of their effectiveness to accomplish therapeutic benefits. Body weight has been implicated as a factor in plantar heel pain, and foot orthoses are commonly used in its conservative treatment and are helpful in reducing symptoms of strain in the fascia during standing and ambulation. It is necessary to investigate the effectiveness of footwear inserts and their impact especially for people with high body mass index (BMI). Hence, research on polyurethane (PU) foams is warranted to identify an ideal material that provides comfort for high-BMI individuals. This article presents details on the physical characteristics of PU foam and its efficacy on functional performances as footwear inserts. PU foam materials have been assessed on various physical characteristics such as density, hardness, compression set followed by resilience, and cushioning behaviors. Of the four densities evaluated, D120 has the highest resilience on static and dynamic conditions. The cushion energy behaviors with respect to walking/running on static and dynamic condition were superior, as they possess better cushioning performance on footwear applications. Hence, the D120 PU foam material is concluded to be the best material for footwear insert for alleviating foot and ankle pain-related problems and for providing therapeutic benefits to high-BMI individuals.