Biomechanical Modeling of the Foot

The foot exhibits a complex behavior during gait as it adapts to the ground geometry to ensure balance, but it also stores energy to ease the next step. Its subtle functionality can be affected by morphological issues, by aging, or by a disease such as diabetes. Hence, modeling the foot could improve our understanding and improve the treatment of pathological conditions. In this chapter, after presenting the foot's anatomy and functionality, we propose a survey of the principal foot models in the literature. Then we introduce our biomechanical model, which uses the finite element method to represent several soft tissue layers around an articulated skeleton of the foot, along with cables simulating the action of ligaments. Two clinical applications, namely ankle arthrodesis and foot ulcer prevention, are also presented.