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RESEARCH

salfordinsole™ - proven pronation control

The salfordinsole™ FIRM and FLEX orthoses were created as part of a two year project to "create a prefabricated insole with the functional qualities and durability of a professional custom made foot orthosis".

PDF  Full details of the research can be downloaded here

The research comprised three phases


Phase 1- Market research

This phase evaluated existing insoles/orthoses used by healthcare professionals and products available direct to consumers. This included speaking to a range of user groups.

 

  



Phase 2- Development of prototype insole

This phase sought to develop a prototype prefabricated insole with the qualities of a professional custom made foot orthosis and which addressed the shortcomings of existing insoles identified in Phase 1.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Phase 3 - Insole testing

This phase sought to test the prototype insole in terms of its biomechanical effectiveness and to conduct clinical field trials to ensure it was acceptable to patients.

 

 

  

 

2010 - The salfordinsole™ orthosis with our 5° medial wedge addition was subsequently tested using a unique invasive approach to measure the motion of the individual bones of the foot. This demonstrated that the orthosis reduced heel eversion and preserved the medial arch structure during walking. This research has been submitted for publication.


salfordinsole™ - incorporating Lateral Wedge Technology™

The salfordinsole™ incorporating Lateral Wedge Technology™ is the culmination of more than 5 years of research at the University of Salford.

Our initial studies investigated the optimal degree of lateral wedging (comparing 3, 5 and 8 degrees) and the ideal position of the wedge under the foot (comparing a lateral heel wedge to a lateral wedge spanning from the heel to the fifth metatarsal head).

A subsequent cross over clinical trial (PhD studies of Dr Richard Jones) compared the lateral wedge insole to a knee brace in 28 patients with mild and moderate medial compartment osteoarthritis of the knee.

Key findings were:

- Lateral wedge insole reduced the knee adduction moment by 12% (p<0.05) compared to no insole
- Lateral wedge insole improved WOMAC knee pain and function scores (p<0.05)
- 96% of patients chose to wear the lateral wedge at the end of the trial.



In subsequent research the effect of the lateral wedge insole on foot pronation was tested using invasive in vivo kinematic analysis to track the movements of individual bones of the foot during walking. As well as increasing the eversion moment (torque) at the heel (which is necessary to reduce the adduction moment at the knee) the use of the lateral wedge in combination with the original salfordinsole™ was shown to preserve the structure of the medial arch of the foot. Thus the advantages of a lateral wedge can be achieved without increasing foot pronation. This research has been submitted for publication. Research on the effect of the lateral wedge insole in cases of medial knee osteoarthritis is ongoing through externally funded research at the University of Salford.