查看文章

The plantar fascia is one of the major stabilizing structures of the longitudinal arch of human foot, especially during midstance of the gait cycle. Knowledge of its functional biomechanics is important for establishing the biomechanical rationale behind different rehabilitation, orthotic and surgical treatment of plantar fasciitis. This study aims at quantifying the biomechanical responses of the ankle–foot complex with different plantar fascia stiffness.

A geometrical detailed three-dimensional finite element model of the human foot and ankle, incorporating geometric and contact nonlinearities was constructed by 3D reconstruction of MR images. A sensitivity study was conducted to evaluate the effects of varying elastic modulus (0–700 MPa) of the plantar fascia on the stress/strain distribution of the bony, ligamentous and encapsulated soft tissue structures.

The results showed that decreasing …