Researchers have developed a new shoe insert technology that helps reduce the risk of diabetic foot ulcers, a dangerous open sore that can lead to hospitalization and leg, foot or toe amputations.
“The goal of this innovative insole technology is to mitigate the risk of diabetic foot ulcers by addressing one of its most important causes: the degradation of skin and soft tissues due to repetitive stress on the foot while walking,” said Muthu BJ Wijesundara. , senior research scientist. at the University of Texas at Arlington Research Institute (UTARI).
Diabetes, which affects about 39 million people in the United States, can damage the small blood vessels that supply blood to the nerves, causing poor circulation and foot sores, also called ulcers. About one-third of people with diabetes develop foot ulcers during their lifetime. In the US, more than 160,000 lower extremity amputations are performed annually due to complications from diabetic foot ulcers, costing the US healthcare system about $30 billion annually. Those who have foot ulcers tend to die at younger ages than those who do not have them.
“Although many shoe inserts have been created over the years to try to alleviate the problem of foot ulcers, studies have shown that their success in preventing them is marginal,” Wijesundara said. “We took the research a step further by creating an alternating pressure shoe insole that works by cyclically relieving pressure from different areas of the foot, thereby providing periods of rest to the soft tissues and improving blood flow. This approach aims to maintain the health of the skin and tissues, thus reducing the risk of diabetic foot ulcers.
In a paper published in the peer-reviewed International Journal of Lower Extremity Wounds, Wijesundara and UTA colleagues Veysel Erel, Aida Nasirian and Yixin Gu, along with Larry Lavery of UT Southwestern Medical Center, described their innovative insoling technology. After this successful pilot project, the research team’s next step will be to refine the technology to make it more accessible to users with different weights and shoe sizes.
“Given the impact of foot ulcers, it’s exciting that we can make a real difference to the lives of so many people,” Wijesundara said.
This work was supported by a grant of $229,480 from the National Institute on Aging of the National Institutes of Health, grant number 7R21AG061471.