William Ledoux, Ph.D.
VA Center of Excellence for Limb Loss Prevention and Prosthetic Engineering
E-mail: wrledoux@uw...


TITLE:

"Mechanical Properties of Normal and Diabetic Plantar Soft Tissue: How Internal Tissue Stresses Are Altered"


ABSTRACT:

In general, diabetic soft tissue is known to be stiffer than normal, healthy tissue. However,
the effect of diabetes on the plantar soft tissue properties is not completely understood. The
mechanical properties of the plantar soft tissue have been an active area of research since at
least the mid 1980s. Most tests have been conducted on healthy tissue and have been structural
in natural. The diabetic status of tissue has also been explored and more recently, material
properties, both in compression and shear, have also been quantified. In parallel to the
plantar soft tissue testing, computational models of the foot and ankle have become
increasingly complex. The inverse finite element method has been used to generate
patient-specific material properties. Incorporating stiffer tissue properties and detailed,
patient-specific anatomy has allowed for the prediction of higher internal stresses in diabetic
foot computational models. In this talk, the relevant literature will be reviewed and specific
examples from our laboratory will be discussed for each of these topics.