A FUNCTIONAL STUDY OF A NEW DIABETIC FOOT SHOE

The purpose of this study was to testing the function of a new diabetic foot shoe - BMWALKER shoe which designed for Chinese people in daily activities and made a comparison with that of DARCO by means of plantar pressure distribution analysis and subjective wearing sense evaluation of diabetic patients. It was showed either BMWALKER or DARCO diabetic shoes could reduce the pressure and impulse at the ball of foot (M2-5 metatarsus), thus balance the pressure in the nine regions of the foot sole and abate the risk of damage due to high pressure and long time impact. The DARCO shoes dispersed the pressure of ball of foot and heel by better arch support. And the BMWALKER shoes reduced the maximum pressure and impulse by increasing the effective load area at the metatarsal. It indicated that both shoes have the function of foot protection but the mechanism of reducing the pressure on the ball of foot was different