In-shoe computed pedobarography as a new method for the assessment of efficiency of orthopedic footwear in diabetic patients
Aim. To assess efficiency of orthopedic footwear for diabetic patients by in-shoe computed pedobarography. Materials and methods. The study included 20 women with type 1 or 2 diabetes mellitus, diabetic polyneuropathy and/or angiopathy combined with moderate foot deformity. In-shoe computed pedobarography (F-scan, Tekscan, USA) was used to study pressure distribution patterns in ordinary footwear identical for each patient (control) and in special shoes shaped to the foot of individual patients. Results. Median peak pressure in orthopedic footwear was reduced by 29% compared with control value. The number of patients with overloaded foot regions decreased from 75 to 35%, p=0,025. The change of integral load indices for clinically significant foot regions was estimated at -34% (-67%; -17%) for pressure-time integral and -26% (-65%; +7%) for force-time integral (p<0,001 in both cases). Conclusion. In-shoe pedography is an important tool for the assessment of reduced pressure on the foot plantar surface in orthopedic footwear for diabetic patients. The shoe model evaluated in this work is characterized by significantly decreased pressure on the plantar surface, pressure-time and force-time integrals.