Influence of the calcaneus shape on the risk of posterior heel ulcer using 3D patient-specific biomechanical modeling.

Abstract

Most posterior heel ulcers are the consequence of inactivity and prolonged time lying down on the back. They appear when pressures applied on the heel create high internal strains and the soft tissues are compressed by the calcaneus. It is therefore important to monitor those strains to prevent heel pressure ulcers. Using a biomechanical lower leg model, we propose to estimate the influence of the patient-specific calcaneus shape on the strains within the foot and to determine if the risk of pressure ulceration is related to the variability of this shape. The biomechanical model is discretized using a 3D Finite Element mesh representing the soft tissues, separated into four domains implementing Neo Hookean materials with different elasticities: skin, fat, Achilles' tendon, and muscles. Bones are modelled as rigid bodies attached to the tissues. Simulations show that the shape of the calcaneus has an influence on the formation of pressure ulcers with a mean variation of the maximum strain over 6.0 percentage points over 18 distinct morphologies. Furthermore, the models confirm the influence of the cushion on which the leg is resting: a softer cushion leading to lower strains, it has less chances of creating a pressure ulcer. The methodology used for patient-specific strain estimation could be used for the prevention of heel ulcer when coupled with a pressure sensor.