Footbed Effects on Posture

Abstract

The current study targeted the effects of footbed on comfort and posture. The literature search shows a gap in the understanding of how footbed affects the human body. The research was conducted in two phases: A survey with 50 female respondents, and 15 participants in an experiment. Participants involved in the experiment phase were asked to wear their own commercial and redesigned “shoes” and provide qualitative and quantitative feedback on discomfort, pain and comfort. The F-scan system was used to determine the objective data of peak pressure, mean force, and contact area between feet and shoes of the participants. Data analysis revealed that the modified shoe was more effective and helpful than the commercial shoes. This result was backed by both subjective responses from participants and objective data from the F-scan equipment. Additionally, the modified shoes had lower peak pressure of 36.76%, and a greater contact area of 8.17%. Thus, designing footbeds based on the anatomical structure of the foot is important. Even though not aesthetically pleasing, the modified shoes showed a significant improvement in comfort levels. The study clearly shows the importance of matching or designing shoes to match feet especially for those wearing high-heeled shoes.

Date of Award	Aug 2023
Original language	American English
Supervisor	Ravindra Goonetilleke (Supervisor)