Mechanical properties of heel pads reconstructed with flaps

摘要: We compared the mechanical properties of normal and reconstructed heel pads in seven patients. Four had latissimus dorsi flaps one each an anterior thigh flap, a local dorsalis pedis flap sural arterial flap. The thickness pad was measured under serial incremental loads 0.5 kg to maximum 3 then relaxed sequentially. The load-displacement curve during loading-unloading cycle plotted from this unloaded heel-pad (UHPT), compressibility index (CI), elastic modulus (Ep), energy dissipation ratio (EDR) were calculated. The EDR significantly increased heels (53.7 ± 18% v 23.4 6.5%, p = 0.003) indicating that them more is dissipated as heat. Insufficient functional capacity can lead development shock-induced discomfort ulceration.