Foot and ankle model for surgical treatment

People commonly succumb to many foot-related problems or diseases, such as plantar foot pain, diabetic foot, arthritic foot, flexible flatfoot, joint sprain, bone fracture, and other sports-related injuries. Surgical treatments such as joint fusion (arthrodesis) and joint replacement (arthroplasty) are often used to promptly alleviate the symptoms and restore normal functions. Concerns often arise as to the effectiveness and biomechanical consequences of surgical treatments and how the treatments may influence the biomechanical structure of the entire foot. A clear picture of the internal biomechanics, such as stress/strain distribution, contact pressure, and deformation, can help us to better understand the situation. Because it is difficult, costly, and invasive to conduct experimental measurements on the human body, we developed finite element (FE) methods to address these questions. As an example, fusion of the tarsometatarsal joints is analyzed and reported on in this chapter.