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Customized Insoles For Diabetic Foot Ulcers

What is Diabetic Foot Ulcer?

A diabetic foot ulcer is the result of any diabetic metabolic disorder when left uncontrolled. The ulcer is formed due to tearing apart of skin tissues and exposure of the tissues underneath them, resulting in severe pain and fluid leakage.

Diabetic foot ulcers cause a major discomfort in mobility in the day to day life. It is a commonly known fact that diabetic wound healing is slow and gets disturbed due to physiological malfunctioning.

Over a prolonged inflammatory phase in diabetic wounds, it causes a delay in the formation of mature granulation tissue and a parallel reduction in wound tensile strength.

People with diabetes are generally prone to diabetic neuropathy because of various metabolic and neurovascular factors. Due to low blood flow, many portions of the feet go numb. Blisters and sores start to appear on these numb areas.

On application of pressure, the injury could go unnoticed and also becomes vulnerable to bacterias and infections leading to the foot ulcer. If the ulcer is not properly taken care of, it could result in permanent damage and the patient could face serious issues.

It can be treated if diagnosed in the early stages with the help of diabetic foot ulcers pathogenesis and management or by performing wound debridement, which is a very expensive process.

However, in light of recent advancements, Orthotic 3D Custom Insoles have proved to be an effective way to reduce foot pain.

What Causes Diabetic Foot Ulcers?

When the blood vessels responsible for transmission of oxygen and nutrients to the nerves are damaged, the condition is known as Neuropathy or Ischemia.

In case of diabetes, due to unchecked blood sugar and a lesser flow of blood to the nerves, the patient becomes more prone to neuropathy or more specifically, to peripheral neuropathy because of alteration of sensitivity in the foot.

Diabetic foot ulcer diagnosis is done after analyzing the symptoms properly. Some of the main causes of diabetic foot ulcer could be listed as follows:

• High Blood Sugar Level: Diabetes is a metabolic disorder that increases glucose levels in the blood. Increased glucose level tightens the arteries, thus constricting blood vessels and restricting the proper blood flow and oxygen supply needed for the body’s natural healing process.
• Poor Circulation: Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD) is common in diabetic patients. PAD restricts blood circulation in the blood vessels and is highly dangerous in case of diabetic foot ulcer as it dampens the healing process.
• Nerve Damage: Due to diabetic neuropathy, the patient can lose sensation and uncontrolled blood sugar levels may result in nerve damage. For a person with nerve damage, a small cut or wound may go unnoticed and it can also interfere with diabetic foot ulcer treatment.
• Immune System Issues: Our immune system is responsible for cleaning dead cells and replacing them with new ones in order to fight bacteria and other infections. But diabetes weakens the immune system, which affects the body’s efficiency to send WBC's to fight the infection of foot ulcer.
• Infection: Due to weaker immunity, people with diabetes are more likely to develop an infection in the wound which makes treatment of ulcers even more difficult.

Diabetic Foot Ulcer Symptoms

The symptoms of diabetic foot ulcer are usually quite visible and easy to diagnose, but in some cases, you won’t even know until the ulcer has been infected.

Diabetic foot ulcer diagnosis reports have shown that the most visible indication of the ailment is a black tissue (known as Eschar) enclosing the ulcer.

A diabetic foot ulcer is commonly found on the soles of the feet, where the skin is subjected to regular pressure. Due to the weight of the body, skin tissues break and the patients are unable to feel the ulcer because of diabetic neuropathy.

It is advised to talk to your doctor if you begin to see any kind of skin discoloration or pain in the foot.

The signs of diabetic foot ulcer may be:

• Swelling, staining, and warmth around the wound.
• Putrid release or some sort of leakage from the wound.
• Pain and tightness when the wound is touched.
• Callused or thickened skin encompassing the ulcer.
• Fever and chills in the early stages of the ulcer.
• Foul smell

Solutions For Diabetic Foot Ulcers

Unless treated properly, diabetic foot ulcers may result in complications that may lead to cellulitis, osteomyelitis (bone infections) and gangrene.

It may also result in permanent loss of mobility and leg amputation if not treated properly. The doctor may prescribe antibiotics or anti-clotting medicines to prevent the infection from progressing.

You can also try off-loading, and it’s helpful for all kinds of foot ulcer pains. In this method, the patient has to stay off his/her feet to prevent the application of pressure on the ulcer.

Some preventive measures could be:

• Inspecting your feet on a regular basis.
• Be attentive to any kind of signs of sores, swelling, color change, cuts, and blisters.
• Always remember to keep your feet clean and dry. Wash them with warm water and a normally concentrated soap and dry them off with a soft towel, particularly between the toes.
• You can use some lotion on the dry areas of skin. But never apply lotion on or between your toes. (You can use some non-allergic foot powder between your toes).
• Cutting toenails with a straight cut across the nails.
• Changing socks or stockings on a regular basis.
• Please try to avoid tight elastics on your socks/stockings. The seamless, fitting socks are considered the best.
  

Now let us look at some of the measures which may help in diabetic foot ulcer treatment:

• Compression Wraps.
• Foot braces.
• Casts.
• Keeping ulcer moisture free and covered.
• Wearing loose-fitting shoes, made out of soft suede or leather material with laces or preferably Velcro Fasteners.
• Cleaning ulcer every day with the prescribed ointments.
• Wound debridement.
• Wearing Orthotics 3D Custom Insoles.
  

Out of the various diabetic foot ulcer treatment products, the Orthotics 3D Custom Insoles prove to be the most efficient and the best in preventing the ulcer from facing inappropriate body pressure.

Diabetic orthotics help to avoid friction inside the shoe, thus decreasing pressure sores.

These insoles are made out of a layer of Plastazote, a material which has an elastic property and the diabetic foot ulcer shoes are custom made according to the individual’s foot shape, thus providing a glove kind of fitting, reducing rubbing and potential ulcer formation.

Orthotics 3D custom insoles can be ordered according to your foot size and positioning of ulcers.

The custom insole designing process involves examination of each foot individually so that one can get the right fit for their unique feet.

Learn How Orthotics 3D Custom Insoles Help In preventing and Curing Diabetic Foot Ulcers

The insoles are used to assist in the prevention of the diabetic neuropathic foot ulceration. Insole replacement is often triggered only when the foot tissues break.

It is an indication that the normal functional performance is compromised and the patient is exposed to unnecessary ulcer risk. Insoles are helpful in reducing mean peak pressure on the exposed ulcer and save it from further deterioration.

After several examinations of the physical characteristics of different materials used in the manufacturing of orthotic insoles for patients with diabetes, scientists have found “Plastazote” to have a higher compression set than the other test materials.

This indicates that material compression might readily occur under load in the shoe.

This elastic property of the material is outstanding and is completely responsible for making custom 3D insoles a victory over the diabetic foot ulcers.

Orthotics 3D Custom Technology And Design

The insoles are made of a thermoplastic polyurethane material that empowers both delicate and unbending components to be joined properly into a solitary insole.

This method is still extensively used in the orthotics industry. Foot orthotics are exclusively produced, inserted or fitted into the patient's diabetic foot ulcer boot.

Generally known as "orthotics", these orthoses provide support to the foot by reallocating ground reaction forces as well as repositioning foot joints while standing, walking, running or any other kind of motor movements.

An interesting observation is that orthotics might be utilized to heal people with foot problems and can also have an extraordinary impact on various spine and back-related deformities.

They are used by everyone, ranging from athletes to the elderly people, to enhance mobility, motor capabilities and for curing a variety of soft tissue inflammatory conditions such as “plantar fasciitis.”

When used in conjunction with suitable orthopedic footwear, they help in the prevention of foot ulcers in the infected diabetic foot.

As we know how shoes for diabetic foot ulcers can add to your comfort and health and the crucial role a comfortable and correctly-fitting orthotic insole can make.

How Do We Design Insole For The Individual Foot

While designing the custom foot insole according to your foot shape, size and ulcer positioning (part vulnerable to body pressure), normally a standard industrial procedure is followed to ensure that every customization is done keeping individual requirements in mind.

This may involve:

1. Scanning of affected foot/feet and identifying the person’s foot details, including pain areas, activity level, shoe size and type, and sometimes doctor’s prescription also.
2. A highly precise scanning and 3D printing technology is used to capture and display the unique shape and structure of the patient’s feet in seconds to ensure that he/she has an accurately fitting custom-made insole with minimal inconvenience.
3. The scanned model is then sent to the laboratory. Here the 3D digital model is used to create a unique orthotic, which matches the characteristics of the individual’s foot.

One can also select from various styles of footwear that he/she would like to have and insoles would be designed for the same.

The output result is very fine quality custom orthotic, created exclusively for your feet.

Ask your foot specialist and make sure whether your custom made orthotics are made using the Orthotic Concept 3D digital process.

Insoles For Diabetic Foot Ulcers

Insoles used inside the boots for diabetic foot ulcers are designed to accurately fit the plantar surface (underside) of the foot, evenly distributing the forces of walking to protect sensitive areas (ulcer affected) from excess body pressure and friction of the blister (ulcer) with the surface of shoes while walking.

This saves the wound from getting any worse while the treatment of infection is being conducted. The insoles also enhance daily mobility without having the fear of scratching the ulcer.

It covers the infected area and due to the elastic property of the material used, it also adjusts the shape according to the choice of the patient.

It gives relief from ulcer pain as well as swelling occurring across the wound. Hence, it proves to be highly effective for diabetic foot ulcers pathogenesis and management.