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A team of Mizzou biological engineering students developed
a device to test different kinds of socks to see which were
most effective in preventing blisters. They found that socks
containing nylon tested better than other materials. From
left are: Rob Mooney, Rebecca Rone, Markus Smiley, Lisa
Huhman and Ashley Szczodroski. Jim Curley photo
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Sweaty
Socks: Which Are Better?
By Jennifer Faddis
A painful blister is often the by-product
of a sweaty sock. But, that is not the only reason a team of University
of Missouri-Columbia biological
engineering students decided to put athletic socks to the
test to find out what constitutes a good sock versus a bad one.
Knowing which socks are best could be meaningful information for
diabetics with serious circulation problems and people who wear
prosthetic devices.
The team started by developing a device to
test 10 popular brands of athletic socks. The testing device uses
a stepper motor to tilt a Plexiglas form that holds the sock material
against a platform at a set pressure. The device calculates the
point at which the material slips against the platform, which
reveals its coefficient of friction (COF). Blisters are more likely
to develop the higher the COF where the sock and shoe meet. Moisture
makes the problem worse; that’s why tests were conducted
in a humidity chamber.
“We found that 100 percent cotton
socks were usually the worst especially when a person started
to sweat,” said Robert Mooney, MU biological engineering
student.
The team also found that money doesn’t
matter. The higher priced socks did not test any better than the
inexpensive brands. The material that composed the sock is the
key. All cotton performed poorly while nylon faired much better.
The benefits of the research are not aimed
solely at athletes. The students said the research can help diabetics
and those who wear prosthetic devises. The team is hopeful their
device could help develop standards for use in sock manufacturing.
“This is about helping diabetics
who have circulation problems and figuring out where they need
specific materials in their socks,” said Lisa Huhman, biological
engineering student at Mizzou. “We find out where diabetics
have skin trauma and target those areas. This isn’t just
about helping athletes prevent blisters.”
“If I were a jogger or a runner
looking for a pair of socks, I would look for a pair that had
different compositions of materials in different parts of the
sock,” Huhman said. “I would not want a sock that
was overall cotton. I might look for a sock that had some of those
synthetic materials that were proven to be better.”
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Last Update:
March 12, 2007
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