External Shock therapy for Diabetic foot

Individuals with diabetes who have an ulcer or an open wound on the leg or foot often go through numerous procedures to help the wound heal. The primary problem in many diabetics is poor blood supply but a number of diabetics also develop neuropathic ulcers from pressure or trauma and have good blood supply. At present, the conventional treatments to heal diabetic foot ulcer include treatment of infection, debridement, relief from any pressure and restoring blood supply to the leg or foot. Despite the wide variety of present treatments, the majority of wounds in diabetic never heal with these therapies. In the end, many diabetics end up having amputations of a toe(s), foot, or leg.

Over the last few years, Italian scientists have been studying the role of external shock wave therapy (ESWT) and promotion of healing of certain diabetic foot ulcers. The Italian scientists started to experiment with shock wave therapy in combination with the current standard treatment. Their research work revealed that shock waves could help tissues heal.

In a small study of 30 patients with diabetic foot ulcers, patients were administered shock wave therapy administered every 1-2 minutes for 72 hours at a time. After 20 weeks, only 50% of diabetics had wound closure in 60 days. Of the Diabetics who were treated with conventional therapy, 33% had wound closure in a slightly longer time interval.

With these results, the Italians are now promoting external shock wave therapy to heal all types of ulcers.