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MADE TO MEASURE (BESPOKE)
CASE STUDY 1: TPSP, S.L.
Soletec Systems Limited - in partnership with TPSP in Spain, has a International Design Studio set up to supply a design service to any company, hospital or patient - who wishes to have a tailored/custom pair of medical shoes made to their feet, in any fashion style or trend requested.
The below Case Study is taken from one such clinic - in Valencia Spain - who required a pair of diabetic custom footwear - for a patient that had lost his toes and half of his other foot.
With the scan being taken in te clinic and with the design being done in the studio in Spain, with the shoes being made in Europe for quality and speed of production, a fully adapted custom pair of shoes was produced in under 10 days.
It is important to be aware that Soletec Systems has access to many shoe manufacturers around the world who will produce bespoke/custom medical shoes to order on our behalf.
CASE STUDY
Diabetes is one of the most widespread diseases affecting 10% of European population. About 25% of diabetic people suffer from the diabetic foot syndrome and its related problems. Diabetics do not feel pain as an alarm signal and walk normally even in extreme situations, which may lead to the formation of foot ulcers with high risk of amputation. This situation can be avoided by using special insoles and customized shoes, as shown in figure 1.
Diabetic patients are more prone to the development of foot conditions(ulcers etc) due to the lack of feeling in their feet as a consequence of the disease. This may often result in drastic amputations. 25% of diabetics will have to face these problems. More than 1.7 million diabetics in the EU have ulcers in their feet. This statistic and the fact that 6 out of 1000 diabetic people require lower limb amputation make the development of ‘total’ customized ‘inner and outer’ footwear very important.
Prevention of foot ulcers through the use of the most suitable footwear (special insoles and customised shoes that reduce pressure on the sole and tissue destruction) could mean savings in treatment and feet amputation-related expenses by 10% to 40%, which are currently estimated to be more than 320 million euros in the EU.
Figure 1
These statistics make the improvement of methods for the prevention of these problems more and more necessary, as well as the enhancement of the treatment for the existing injuries. Diabetes-related foot ulcers and amputations are one of the most important causes for morbidity and disability in diabetic patients, who are also emotionally, physically and socially affected.
Furthermore, this disease inevitably involves a significant consumption of health-care resources. Indeed an early diagnosis and the treatment of risk factors related to the diabetic condition are considered as the best mean to avoid their development.
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Obviously, this early diagnosis should occur before the feet ulcerate or as the ulcers are about to be formed. In regard to diabetic patients, one of the most effective preventive measures in the future development of the disease is the use of suitable footwear and load releasing insoles. In particular, this footwear should:
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include an orthosis (insole) necessary for suitable pressure distribution.
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avoid excessive heat in feet.
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avoid rubbing, which may result in ulcers.
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allow for “free” movement of foot of the diabetic patient.
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In this case study, the main objective is the development of the necessary tools for the production of customized footwear and insoles for diabetic foot patients. This will result in a shoe being adapted to the user providing the best fitting properties in accordance with foot measurements taken and the user preferences as regards design aspects. Consequently, considering this information as the starting point, the 3D design and manufacture of a customized insole fit into a shoe was carried out.
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The customization process for footwear and insoles involves different important aspects:
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( a ) acquiring the 3D image of the foot by means of a digitizer, for the automatic calculation of the foot dimensions;
( b ) obtaining the characteristic measurements of a group of digital lasts (from a last data base) that define a solid relationship between the foot and the last;
( c ) comparing the foot dimensions with the dimensions of the different lasts, so as to obtain the last that better fits the foot of the client (best fitting);
( d ) selecting the most suitable shoe style from the client’s point of view;
( e ) placing the order and the manufacturing order of a pair of customized shoes;
( f ) designing and manufacturing a three-dimensional insole in accordance with the specifications/prescriptions of an orthopaedic expert.
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Figure 2 shows one of the groups (patented) shoe models in which the (medium) customization concept has been applied to the bottom part.
In this particular case, the shoe model is a sandal with a 3D insole (Figure 11) that solves the problem of most diabetic women who do not use orthopaedic insoles in summer, mainly because of high temperatures and the lack of suitable footwear.
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