Do our feet get hotter when we walk with a heavy backpack? And if yes, is it due to their mechanical function?
Author ORCID Identifier
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8802-0003
Advisor Information
Kota Z. Takahashi
Presentation Type
Oral Presentation
Start Date
26-3-2021 12:00 AM
End Date
26-3-2021 12:00 AM
Abstract
For most people, their body temperature stays almost the same from day-to-day. However, when affecting by disease, our body's temperature typically increases. For example, some people with diabetes have incredibly high temperatures in their feet, which could damage their skin and be linked to diabetic ulceration, which is the most common cause of nontraumatic lower-extremity amputation. If we want to help these patients, we must first learn how healthy feet temperature change or stay the same when doing necessary daily activities like walking. If we find the answer to this critical knowledge gap, we may help people who have trouble controlling their skin temperature. To answer this question, we examined the thermal and mechanical behavior of healthy people's feet. Based on laws of thermodynamics, heat production should be associated with the mechanical behavior of the foot. We used temperature sensors to determine if the feet are getting hotter or colder after walking and computational modeling to quantify their mechanical behavior. We hypothesized that: (1) foot's temperature would increase when walking with added mass, (2) the increase in temperature is related to increased mechanical energy absorbed and dissipated by the foot. Overall, our results indicate that the foot increased its temperature while walking with added mass, but its thermal responses were not associated with its mechanical behavior. Our findings are likely related to agile temperature control by the healthy function of the normal leg's vascular system and the excellent control of the shear forces by the plantar structures of the foot.
Do our feet get hotter when we walk with a heavy backpack? And if yes, is it due to their mechanical function?
For most people, their body temperature stays almost the same from day-to-day. However, when affecting by disease, our body's temperature typically increases. For example, some people with diabetes have incredibly high temperatures in their feet, which could damage their skin and be linked to diabetic ulceration, which is the most common cause of nontraumatic lower-extremity amputation. If we want to help these patients, we must first learn how healthy feet temperature change or stay the same when doing necessary daily activities like walking. If we find the answer to this critical knowledge gap, we may help people who have trouble controlling their skin temperature. To answer this question, we examined the thermal and mechanical behavior of healthy people's feet. Based on laws of thermodynamics, heat production should be associated with the mechanical behavior of the foot. We used temperature sensors to determine if the feet are getting hotter or colder after walking and computational modeling to quantify their mechanical behavior. We hypothesized that: (1) foot's temperature would increase when walking with added mass, (2) the increase in temperature is related to increased mechanical energy absorbed and dissipated by the foot. Overall, our results indicate that the foot increased its temperature while walking with added mass, but its thermal responses were not associated with its mechanical behavior. Our findings are likely related to agile temperature control by the healthy function of the normal leg's vascular system and the excellent control of the shear forces by the plantar structures of the foot.