Using a texture analyser to objectively quantify foot orthoses

Background and aim: Foot orthoses alter the kinematics and kinetics in gait. With the increasing importance of evidence based practice and with the permanent development of subtractive manufacturing and introduction of additive manufacturing, there is a growing need for quantification of orthoses parameters. We describe a measurement method and protocol to quantify different parameters of a foot orthosis.Technique: A texture analyser is used to impose a displacement of the surface of the orthosis, while the applied force is measured. The measured points are determined based on the location of anatomical landmarks on the foot. Out of the measured data, parameters are calculated representing the stiffness, compression set and shape.Discussion: To illustrate the proposed technique, five different parameters are extracted from three example orthoses. Results show the added value of the proposed technique as the parameters are not only defined by the material but also by the shape.