A Comparative Study on Auxetic and Non-Auxetic Heel Pads for Plantar Heel Pains

Plantar heel pains can arise from skeletal problems or soft tissue pathologies. This pain is affected most when the person is at the heel strike phase of the gait. One of the simple ways to provide cushioning and support for the heel is to use rehabilitative heel pads. Studies have been conducted on different materials, thickness and geometries of these pads. However not many studies investigated auxetic geometries in this area. In this study an auxetic and non-auxetic heel pad structures have been compared with finite element analysis. Results show that auxetic structures have better energy absorption and vertical displacement during heel strike.