Padding Priced in Millimetres: Peak Pressure at Heel and Hip Against the Thickness and Softness of What Is Under Them

This simulated study estimates how the thickness and softness of padding under a heel and under the sacrum and hip change peak pressure, and how thick each candidate pad must be to bring peak pressure below a stated target of 32 mmHg. At their stated thicknesses, folded cotton cloth leaves peak pressure at 60.2 mmHg at the heel and 68.8 mmHg at the hip, and a rice-hull pad leaves 37.5 mmHg and 42.9 mmHg, so neither reaches the target. Soft foam reaches 20.2 mmHg at the heel and 23.1 mmHg at the hip, firm foam reaches 26.3 mmHg and 30.0 mmHg, and a water-filled bag reaches 15.6 mmHg and 17.9 mmHg. The minimum thickness to reach the target ranges from 13.1 mm for a water-filled bag at the heel to 89.6 mm for folded cotton cloth at the hip. Nothing was built or measured; every value follows from the stated contact model.