In vivo thickness and dynamic behaviour of the heel fat pad during ageing: biomechanical and anthropological impact of footwear.

老化过程中脚跟脂肪垫的体内厚度和动态行为：鞋类的生物力学和人类学影响。

• 批准号: MR/Y010140/1
• 负责人: Kristiaan DAout
• 金额: $ 42.73万
• 依托单位: University of Liverpool
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Research Grant
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2023 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=MR%2FY010140%2F1
• 关键词: vivo; thickness; dynamic; behaviour; heel

The heel pad is a complex structure between the heel bone and the skin which is important as a shock absorber for healthy gait, and therefore it affects quality of life. However, its ability to do so deteriorates during ageing because its mechanical properties change. It is unclear whether these changes result from ageing as such, and/or from overuse. The former cannot be changed, but the latter can be mitigated by several factors, including footwear.An individual's footwear choice often depends on culture and design, more than on function - known as the shoe's biomechanics - and therefore these are important to consider. This interdisciplinary study will bring together elements of anthropology (what are cultural and design drivers in footwear choice?) with functional anatomy and biomechanics. We will collect laboratory (UK) and field (India, Namibia) data on the properties of the heel pad and assess how they change with ageing and footwear. We will study young and older populations with different footwear use to disentangle the effects of ageing and footwear habits on heel pad properties and gait. Access to sophisticated laboratory equipment in the UK will allow us to use 3D X-Ray video recordings to show how the heel pad deforms during walking barefoot, and in footwear: minimal and cushioned. We will also use MRI to build a 3D foot model including the heel pad, record the motions of the leg and foot, and measure the forces between the substrate and the foot or shoe. We will study a younger (18-40) and an older (60+) population to answer the questions: (1) how do changes in foot function and estimated tissue loading (using Finite Element Modelling) relate to heel pad changes between these groups, and (2) what are the here-and-now effects of various amounts of footwear cushioning?Our field study in India study will address the question: what is the effect of long-term use of footwear? We will answer this by comparing participants that wear shoes daily, to participants who never wear shoes - a considerable sub-population in rural parts of South India. If footwear affects heel pad degradation, we expect to see differences between the two groups, when matched for age and other factors.Our Namibia study will work with participants from the San (Ju|'hoansi bushmen) community, one of the most genetically diverse populations on earth. They display a range of footwear habits from Western-type shoes to indigenous hunting sandals. They also habitually walk on natural substrates. We will investigate whether the relationships between the heel pad and gait are similar between populations. We will also aim to understand some of the reasons behind footwear choice in our populations.In all studies, we will use portable ultrasound imaging to measure thickness and compressibility of the heel pad, an in-house designed strain measurement device to estimate its mechanical properties, video to measure gait, and a wearable data logger to measure foot strike impact and ankle movements. We will assess cultural versus functional drivers for footwear choice through structured interviews.Combined, these studies will allow us to disentangle the effects of ageing and footwear habits on heel pad properties and gait, laying a foundation for understanding the impact of heel pad health, ageing and quality of life. These studies will also support the transition from primarily lab-based, Western biomechanics to a more inclusive, diverse, and interdisciplinary research field. We will develop new knowledge to determine if, and what type of footwear can prevent deterioration of the heel pad during ageing, and if footwear with individually tuned cushioning can help mitigate existing loss in heel pad quality. Doing so will result in better foot function, effective gait, and better quality of life in older people.

足跟垫是足跟骨和皮肤之间的复杂结构，其作为健康步态的减震器是重要的，并且因此影响生活质量。然而，在老化过程中，其这样做的能力会下降，因为其机械性能会发生变化。目前还不清楚这些变化是否是由于老化和/或过度使用造成的。前者无法改变，但后者可以通过包括鞋类在内的几个因素来缓解。个人对鞋类的选择往往取决于文化和设计，而不是功能-即鞋的生物力学-因此这些因素很重要。这项跨学科的研究将汇集人类学的元素（什么是鞋类选择的文化和设计驱动因素？）功能解剖学和生物力学。我们将收集实验室（英国）和现场（印度，纳米比亚）关于脚跟垫特性的数据，并评估它们如何随着年龄和鞋类而变化。我们将研究使用不同鞋类的年轻人和老年人，以理清年龄和鞋类习惯对脚跟垫性能和步态的影响。在英国使用先进的实验室设备将使我们能够使用3D X射线视频记录来展示赤脚行走时脚跟垫如何变形，以及穿鞋时的脚跟垫：最小且有缓冲。我们还将使用MRI来构建包括脚跟垫的3D足部模型，记录腿部和足部的运动，并测量基底与足部或鞋之间的力。我们将研究年轻（18-40岁）和老年（60岁以上）人群，以回答以下问题：（1）足部功能的变化和估计的组织负荷（使用有限元建模）如何与这些人群之间的足跟垫变化相关，以及（2）不同数量的鞋类缓冲的即时效果是什么？我们在印度的实地研究将解决这个问题：长期使用鞋类的影响是什么？我们将通过比较每天穿鞋的参与者和从不穿鞋的参与者来回答这个问题-这是南印度农村地区的一个相当大的亚群。如果鞋类影响足跟垫的退化，我们希望看到两组之间的差异，当年龄和其他因素相匹配时。|“hoansi kommen）社区，地球上遗传多样性最丰富的种群之一。他们展示了一系列的鞋类习惯，从西式鞋到土著狩猎凉鞋。它们也习惯于在天然基质上行走。我们将调查不同人群的足跟垫和步态之间的关系是否相似。在所有研究中，我们将使用便携式超声成像来测量足跟垫的厚度和可压缩性，使用内部设计的应变测量设备来估计其机械性能，使用视频来测量步态，以及使用可穿戴数据记录器来测量足部撞击冲击和踝关节运动。我们将通过结构化访谈来评估文化因素与功能因素对鞋类选择的影响。结合这些研究，我们将能够理清年龄和鞋类习惯对足跟垫性能和步态的影响，为理解足跟垫健康、衰老和生活质量的影响奠定基础。这些研究还将支持从主要以实验室为基础的西方生物力学过渡到更具包容性，多样性和跨学科的研究领域。我们将开发新的知识，以确定是否以及什么类型的鞋类可以防止鞋跟衬垫在老化过程中的退化，以及具有单独调整的缓冲的鞋类是否可以帮助减轻鞋跟衬垫质量的现有损失。这样做将导致更好的足部功能，有效的步态，以及老年人更好的生活质量。