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Clinical Observation of 3D Printing Technology in Insoles for Flexible Flatfoot Patients

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Abstract

Flatfoot is defined as the flattening of the medial arch of the foot, and it is classified into flexible flatfoot and rigid flatfoot based on whether the flattening of the medial arch of the foot can be reset when standing on toes. The insole is the most basic and common treatment, which is relatively cheaper and easier to adopt. Three-dimensional (3D) printing, an emerging technology characterized by high machining accuracy and use of various materials, can be utilised in personalised insoles, which have good application prospects. Further research on the clinical effects of 3D-printed insoles is still needed. In this study, 64 cases of 3D-printed insoles were clinically observed. The results showed that 3D-printed insoles had statistically positive effects in treating flatfoot (P = 0.00017), and with adjustment and adaptation, their comfort and clinical effect can be improved. This study provides an empirical reference for further large-scale clinical control research.

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Author notes

  1. These authors contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200011, China

    Yitian Wang  (王一天), Wenbo Jiang  (姜闻博), Yaokai Gan  (干耀恺), Yang Yu  (于 洋) & Kerong Dai  (戴尅戎)

  2. Shanghai Key Laboratory of Orthopaedic Implants, Shanghai Ninth People’s Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200011, China

    Yaokai Gan  (干耀恺) & Kerong Dai  (戴尅戎)

Authors
  1. Yitian Wang  (王一天)
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  2. Wenbo Jiang  (姜闻博)
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  3. Yaokai Gan  (干耀恺)
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  4. Yang Yu  (于 洋)
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  5. Kerong Dai  (戴尅戎)
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Yaokai Gan  (干耀恺).

Additional information

Foundation item: the Class IV Peak Discipline Project of Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine — “3D Snowball” Project (No. Ggxq03)

Ethics Statement

The research was approved by the ethics committee of Shanghai Ninth People’s Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine (SH9H-2020-T420-1).

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Wang, Y., Jiang, W., Gan, Y. et al. Clinical Observation of 3D Printing Technology in Insoles for Flexible Flatfoot Patients. J. Shanghai Jiaotong Univ. (Sci.) 26, 398–403 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12204-021-2311-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12204-021-2311-7

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