Abstract:
Foot abnormalities like foot ulcer are mainly developing due to diabetic disease.
Foot ulcer problems with diabetic patients account for up to 15% of healthcare
resources in developed countries and 40% in developing countries.one in every
six people with diabetes will develop foot ulcer once in a lifetime. Beside to
cleaning foot regularly, using proper fitting shoe with suitable appliances/insock
can retard the ulcer expansion. Suitable shoe appliances respond to the unique
curves and pressures of our body /foot while walking, running, playing, or
exercising that minimize pain by aiding redistribution of our body pressure
evenly. In developing country especially in Ethiopia, due to less availability and
affordability of orthotics appliance, diabetic patients with foot ulcer are highly in
suffering. Though Manufacturing of PU memory foam yet not practiced in
Ethiopia, the aim of this research is to develop polyurethane memory foam
insock in Ethiopia by replacing costly materials( silicon surfactant & distill water)
with locally available & affordable input materials( castor oil as surfactant and tap
water) . Under this research it is able to prove the severity of foot ulcer in
Ethiopia and the high demand of orthotic appliance through interview result with
field specialist /doctor/ .Three memory foam insock with different surfactant
ratio‘s are manufactured at AMAGA P.L.C foam factory ,Bahir Dar Ethiopia, using
standard polyols and diisocynates with surfactant and other suitable additives.
The developed sample products Thickness, density, Hardness, Compression set,
and abrasion resistance physical properties are tested and result comply with
the ISO and SATRA insock standards at Ethiopian Institute of Textile and fashion
technology (EiTEX) laboratory, Bahir Dar University, Bahir Dar and Leather
industry development institute (LIDI) laboratory, Addis Ababa ,Ethiopia. Apart
from these field test on the patients foot has checked and positive and need to be
improved feedback has been found. Finally conclusion and possible
recommendations for research institutions, the Ethiopian footwear factory , and
related industries to manufacture the insock locally have given