Diabetes mellitus is a common disease that effect many organs of the body and can also cause serious adverse effect on the foot. Diabetic foot complications range from atrophy and weakness of foot intrinsic muscles, abnormal walking pattern, neuropathy and foot ulcers. Severe cases of diabetic foot ulcers can result in amputation. Custom-made insoles are one of the foot care recommendations for patients with diabetic foot, as they help to distribute the plantar pressure and reduce the risk of ulceration. The objective of this study is to examine the impact of custom-made insoles on the plantar pressure in 64 diabetic subjects (32 females and 32 males without any foot ulceration) by comparing the peak plantar pressure during barefoot walking with that while using custom-made insoles. The statistical analyses indicate a significant impact of custom-made insoles on the plantar pressure of both female and male subjects. The female subjects showed 84.7% and 84.5% reduction in the right and left foot average peak plantar pressure respectively, and the male subjects experienced a reduction of 77.6% and 76.5% in the average peak plantar pressure of the right and left foot, respectively. Custom made insoles can reduce the plantar pressure of diabetic foot and thus, can reduce the risk of diabetic foot ulcers related to uneven distribution of plantar pressure.
Key words: Plantar Pressure, Custom made insoles, diabetic foot
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