Search Results
Background:
We investigated whether a forefoot off-loading postoperative shoe (FOPS) alters standing posture, ankle muscle activity, and static postural sway and whether any effects are altered by wearing a shoe raise on the contralateral side.
Methods:
Posture, ankle muscle activity, and postural sway were compared in 14 healthy participants wearing either a FOPS or a control shoe with or without a contralateral shoe raise. Participants were tested under different sensory and support surface conditions. Additionally, reductions in peak pressure under the forefoot while walking were assessed with and without a contralateral shoe raise to determine whether the FOPS continued to achieve its primary off-loading function.
Results:
Compared with the control condition, wearing a FOPS moved the center of pressure posteriorly, increased tibialis anterior muscle activity, and reduced ankle plantarflexor activity. These changes decreased when a contralateral shoe raise was added. No difference in postural sway was found between footwear conditions. Forefoot peak pressure was always reduced when wearing the FOPS.
Conclusions:
The posterior shift in center of pressure toward and behind the ankle joint axis is believed to result in the increase in tibialis anterior muscle activity that now acts as the primary stabilizer around the ankle. Instability may, therefore, increase in patients with weak tibialis anterior muscles (eg, diabetic neuropathy) who need to wear offloading devices for ulcer management. We suggest that the addition of a contralateral shoe raise fitted with a FOPS may potentially be beneficial in maintaining stability while off-loading the forefoot in this patient group. (J Am Podiatr Med Assoc 103(1): 36–42, 2013)
Background
Insoles are commonly used to assist in the prevention of diabetic neuropathic foot ulceration. Insole replacement is often triggered only when foot lesions deteriorate, an indicator that functional performance is comprised and patients are exposed to unnecessary ulcer risk. We investigated the durability of insoles used for ulcer prevention in neuropathic diabetic feet over 12 months.
Methods
Sixty neuropathic individuals with diabetes were provided with insoles and footwear. Insole durability over 12 months was evaluated using an in-shoe pressure measurement device and through repeated measurement of material depth at the first metatarsal head and the heel seat. Analysis of variance was performed to assess change across time (at issue, 6 months, and 12 months).
Results
Analyses were conducted using all available data (n = 43) and compliant data (n = 18). No significant difference was found in the reduction of mean peak pressure tested across time (P < .05). For both sites, significant differences in insole depth were identified between issue and 6 months and between issue and 12 months but not between 6 and 12 months (P < .05). Most insole compression occurred during the initial 6 months.
Conclusions
Visual material compression does not seem to be a reliable indicator of insole usefulness. Frequency of insole replacement is best informed by a functional review of effect determined using an in-shoe pressure measurement system. These results suggest that insoles for diabetic neuropathic patients can be effective in maintaining peak pressure reduction for 12 months regardless of wear frequency.
Background:
We investigated plantar loading asymmetry during gait in American Indians with and without diabetes and with diabetes and peripheral neuropathy.
Methods:
A convenience sample of 96 American Indians with and without diabetes was divided into three groups: 20 with diabetes and peripheral neuropathy, 16 with diabetes without peripheral neuropathy, and 60 with no history of diabetes (control group). Plantar loading was measured during barefoot walking across a pressure platform. Five trials were collected per foot during level walking at a self-selected speed using the two-step method. Asymmetry in peak pressure-time integral and peak plantar pressure were calculated from ten plantar regions and compared among groups.
Results:
Significant pressure-time integral asymmetry occurred across the forefoot regions in American Indians with diabetes and peripheral neuropathy compared with the other two groups. Significant peak plantar pressure asymmetry occurred in the third metatarsal region in both groups with diabetes (with and without peripheral neuropathy) compared with the control group.
Conclusions:
Overall, American Indians with diabetes seemed to show greater asymmetry in plantar loading variables across the forefoot region compared with those in the control group. Specifically, individuals with diabetes and peripheral neuropathy had the greatest amount of forefoot pressure-time integral asymmetry. Significant peak plantar pressure asymmetry occurred in the third metatarsal region of the forefoot in those with diabetes with and without peripheral neuropathy. Loading asymmetry may play a role in the development of foot ulcers in the forefoot region of American Indians with peripheral neuropathy and diabetes. (J Am Podiatr Med Assoc 103(2): 106–112, 2013)
Background: Because value-based care is critical to the Affordable Care Act success, we forecasted inpatient costs and the potential impact of podiatric medical care on savings in the diabetic population through improved care quality and decreased resource use during implementation of the health reform initiatives in California.
Methods: We forecasted enrollment of diabetic adults into Medicaid and subsidized health benefit exchange programs using the California Simulation of Insurance Markets (CalSIM) base model. Amputations and admissions per 1,000 diabetic patients and inpatient costs were based on the California Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development 2009-2011 inpatient discharge files. We evaluated cost in three categories: uncomplicated admissions, amputations during admissions, and discharges to a skilled nursing facility. Total costs and projected savings were calculated by applying the metrics and cost to the projected enrollment.
Results: Diabetic patients accounted for 6.6% of those newly eligible for Medicaid or health benefit exchange subsidies, with a 60.8% take-up rate. We project costs to be $24.2 million in the diabetic take-up population from 2014 to 2019. Inpatient costs were 94.3% higher when amputations occurred during the admission and 46.7% higher when discharged to a skilled nursing facility. Meanwhile, 61.0% of costs were attributed to uncomplicated admissions. Podiatric medical services saved 4.1% with a 10% reduction in admissions and amputations and an additional 1% for every 10% improvement in access to podiatric medical care.
Conclusions: When implementing the Affordable Care Act, inclusion of podiatric medical services on multidisciplinary teams and in chronic-care models featuring prevention helps shift care to ambulatory settings to realize the greatest cost savings.
Background
Ankle position sense may be reduced before the appearance of the clinical manifestation of diabetic peripheral neuropathy. This is known to impair gait and cause falls and foot ulcers. Early detection of impaired ankle proprioception is important because it allows physicians to prescribe an exercise program to patients to prevent foot complications.
Methods
Forty-six patients diagnosed as having type 2 diabetes mellitus and 22 control patients were included in the study. Presence of neuropathy was assessed using the Michigan Neuropathy Screening Instrument (MNSI). Level of foot care awareness was determined using the Nottingham Assessment of Functional Footcare (NAFF). Joint position sense was measured using a dynamometer.
Results
Mean absolute angular error (MAAE) values were significantly higher in the neuropathy group compared with the control group (P < .05). Right plantarflexion MAAE values were significantly lower in the group without neuropathy compared with the group with neuropathy (P < .05). No correlation was found between MAAE values (indicating joint position sense) and age, educational level, disease duration, glycemic control, NAFF score, and MNSI history and examination scores in the groups with and without neuropathy (P > .05). Educational level and disease duration were found to be correlated with NAFF scores.
Conclusions
Increased MNSI history scores and increased deficits in ankle proprioception demonstrate that diabetic foot complications associated with reduced joint position sense may be seen at an increased rate in symptomatic patients.
