Can the Temperature of Feet Be Affected by Using Insoles with Elevated Points? An Experiment in Cold Environments

Abstract

The projects aim was to find out if it is possible to increase temperature (research question 1), slow down the declining temperature (research question 2) or increase the subjective comfort related to temperature (research question 3) of feet while using insoles with elevated points, compared with using insoles without elevated points, in a cold environment. Six test subjects participated in an experiment which contained a thermal test, a walking test and a questionnaire. For the thermal test, the test subject held the feet in 10°C water for two minutes. The regaining of temperature was recorded with an IR-camera. For the walking test, the test subjects walked in 2 x 20 minutes on a treadmill in a cold room with temperature settings at -5°C. First a lap with regular insoles and the second lap with insoles with elevated points. They were wearing thermistors taped to the soles of both feet and on the outside of the clothing for logging of the temperature data. Finally, the test subjects were asked to fill out a questionnaire regarding their subjective perception of the insole with elevated points. The results showed that the temperature did not increase, but due to the small sample size, this could not be concluded (1). Three out of six subjects had a delay in the increasing temperature. It was rated plausible due to the small sample size (2). The subjective perception was very similar with both insoles. But, again, this cannot be concluded due to the small sample size (3).