Orthopedic Device for Forefoot Offloading

Abstract

Our project objective is to design an orthopedic device that will assist a user with a traumatic foot injury to walk with minimal pain. Our sponsor, Steve Schrader, suffers from a severe case of pes cavus and experiences pain when walking, especially during the toe-off phase. His current solution, the Rocker Shoe, helps to alleviate the pressure on the forefoot, but it does not allow forefoot flexion. Therefore, this new device must be able to reduce pressure on the metatarsal region while still allowing forefoot flexion. Some additional requirements include height constraints and 3D printability for reproducibility.