Little is known about the structural properties of plantar soft-tissue areas other than the heel; nor is it known whether the structural properties vary depending on location. Furthermore, although the quasi-linear viscoelastic (QLV) theory has been used to model many soft-tissue types, it has not been employed to model the plantar soft tissue. The structural properties of the plantar soft tissue were quantified via stress relaxation experiments at seven regions (subcalcaneal, five submetatarsal, and subhallucal) across eight cadaveric feet. The cadaveric feet were 36.9±17.4 (mean±S.D.) years of age, all free from vascular diseases and orthopedics disorders. All tests were performed at a constant environmental temperature of 35°C. Stress relaxation experiments were performed; different loads were employed for different areas based on normative gait data. A modification of the relaxation spectrum employed within the QLV theory allowed for the inclusion of frequency-sensitive relaxation properties in addition to nonlinear elastic behavior. The tissue demonstrated frequency-dependent damping properties that made the QLV theory ill suited to model the relaxation. There was a significant difference between the elastic structural properties (A) of the subcalcaneal tissue and all other areas and a trend for the fifth submetatarsal to have less viscous damping than the subhallucal, or first, second, or third submetatarsal areas. Thus, the data demonstrate that the structural properties of the foot can vary across regions, but careful consideration must be given to the applied loads and the manner in which the loads were applied.
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e-mail: wrledoux@u.washington.edu
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December 2004
Technical Briefs
A Quasi-Linear, Viscoelastic, Structural Model of the Plantar Soft Tissue With Frequency-Sensitive Damping Properties
William R. Ledoux, Ph.D.,
e-mail: wrledoux@u.washington.edu
William R. Ledoux, Ph.D.
Department of Veterans Affairs, RR&D Center for Excellence in Limb Loss Prevention and Prosthetic Engineering, VA Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle WA, 98108
Department of Mechanical Engineering and Department of Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195
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David F. Meaney, Ph.D.,
David F. Meaney, Ph.D.
Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104
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Howard J. Hillstrom, Ph.D.
Howard J. Hillstrom, Ph.D.
Gait Study Center, Temple University School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19107
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William R. Ledoux, Ph.D.
Department of Veterans Affairs, RR&D Center for Excellence in Limb Loss Prevention and Prosthetic Engineering, VA Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle WA, 98108
Department of Mechanical Engineering and Department of Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195
e-mail: wrledoux@u.washington.edu
David F. Meaney, Ph.D.
Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104
Howard J. Hillstrom, Ph.D.
Gait Study Center, Temple University School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19107
Contributed by the Bioengineering Division for publication in the JOURNAL OF BIOMECHANICAL ENGINEERING. Manuscript received by the Bioengineering Division March 7, 2003; revision received July 2, 2004. Associate Editor: Philip V. Bayly.
J Biomech Eng. Dec 2004, 126(6): 831-837 (7 pages)
Published Online: February 4, 2005
Article history
Received:
March 7, 2003
Revised:
July 2, 2004
Online:
February 4, 2005
Citation
Ledoux, W. R., Meaney , D. F., and Hillstrom , H. J. (February 4, 2005). "A Quasi-Linear, Viscoelastic, Structural Model of the Plantar Soft Tissue With Frequency-Sensitive Damping Properties ." ASME. J Biomech Eng. December 2004; 126(6): 831–837. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.1824133
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