Journal Article

Modeling and analysis of explicit dynamics of foot landing

Zhao, Ziya, He, Shuaiheng, Yu, Yi, Zhao, Guoan, Chang, Jinlong, Jia, Qianfang, Li, Yawei, Zhang, Kailu, Li, Jia, Zhang, Xueling, Ren, Wu, Wang, Zhenghui, Lin, Fei

2025

Overview

The research aims to investigate the mechanical response of footfalls at different velocities to understand the mechanism of heel injury and provide a scientific basis for the prevention and treatment of heel fractures. A three-dimensional solid model of foot drop was constructed using anatomical structures segmented from medical CT scans, including bone, cartilage, ligaments, plantar fascia, and soft tissues, and the impact velocities of the foot were set to be 2 m/s, 4 m/s, 6 m/s, 8 m/s, and 10 m/s. Explicit kinetic analysis methods were used to investigate the mechanical response of the foot landing with different speeds to explore the damage mechanism of heel bone at different impact velocities. Lower impact velocities result in relatively low stress on the medial cortex and posterior talar articular bony surfaces, which may result in minor injury or stress adaptation in the heel. As the impact velocity increases, the stresses on the medial cortex and posterior taller articular surface also increase significantly, greatly raising the risk of heel fractures. This study holds significant implications for safeguarding foot health and enhancing the safety of athletes and individuals engaged in high-impact sports.