Off-Loading the Diabetic Foot Wound

TLDR

The study compares total‑contact casts, removable cast walkers, and half‑shoes for healing diabetic neuropathic foot ulcers. In a prospective randomized trial of 63 diabetic patients with superficial noninfected foot ulcers, participants were assigned to total‑contact casts, half‑shoes, or removable cast walkers, and outcomes were measured at healing or 12 weeks, focusing on healing proportion and daily steps. Total‑contact casts achieved a higher healing rate (89.5%) and faster time to healing than removable cast walkers (65%) and half‑shoes (58.3%), but patients using TCCs were significantly less active (≈600 steps/day) compared to half‑shoe users (≈1460 steps/day).

Abstract

OBJECTIVE—To compare the effectiveness of total-contact casts (TCCs), removable cast walkers (RCWs), and half-shoes to heal neuropathic foot ulcerations in individuals with diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS—In this prospective clinical trial, 63 patients with superficial noninfected, nonischemic diabetic plantar foot ulcers were randomized to one of three off-loading modalities: TCC, half-shoe, or RCW. Outcomes were assessed at wound healing or at 12 weeks, whichever came first. Primary outcome measures included proportion of complete wound healing at 12 weeks and activity (defined as steps per day). RESULTS—The proportions of healing for patients treated with TCC, RCW, and half-shoe were 89.5, 65.0, and 58.3%, respectively. A significantly higher proportion of patients were healed by 12 weeks in the TCC group when compared with the two other modalities (89.5 vs. 61.4%, P = 0.026, odds ratio 5.4, 95% CI 1.1–26.1). There was also a significant difference in survival distribution (time to healing) between patients treated with a TCC and both an RCW (P = 0.033) and half-shoe (P = 0.012). Patients were significantly less active in the TCC (600.1 ± 320.0 daily steps) compared with the half-shoe (1,461.8 ± 1,452.3 daily steps, P = 0.04). There was no significant difference in the average number of steps between the TCC and the RCW (767.6 ± 563.3 daily steps, P = 0.67) or the RCW and the half-shoe (P = 0.15). CONCLUSIONS—The TCC seems to heal a higher proportion of wounds in a shorter amount of time than two other widely used off-loading modalities, the RCW and the half-shoe.