According to a report in Science Daily, ulcers do not heal on their own and around 14-15 per cent of diabetics in the US are badly affected by it.

Ulcers are generally caused when high blood sugar damage nerves. (Source: File Photo)

While it is known that diabetes can cause ulcers, a shoe insole has been developed by researchers at Purdue University that might help in the healing process. According to a report in Science Daily, ulcers do not heal on their own and around 14-15 per cent of diabetics in the US are badly affected by it. Some also end up losing their leg, foot or toes.

Ulcers are generally caused when high blood sugar damage nerves. This, in turn, renders the feet or the toe without any sensation. After the skin fails to feel pain, often the skin tissue breaks down and forms ulcers. The presence of sugar in the bloodstream further slows down the recovery process. “One of the ways to heal these wounds is by giving them oxygen,” says Babak Ziaie, professor at Purdue University. “We’ve created a system that gradually releases oxygen throughout the day so that a patient can have more mobility,” he added.

“We typically treat ulcers by removing devitalised tissue from the surface of the wound, and by helping the patient to find ways to take the weight off the affected foot,” says Desmond Bell, a podiatrist in wound management and amputation prevention at the Memorial Hospital in Jacksonville, Florida. Bell is also the founder of the Save a Leg, Save a Life Foundation.

“The gold standard for treating an ulcer is a patient wearing a total-contact cast, which provides a protective environment for the foot. If we could test how well this insole delivers oxygen to the wound site from within the cast, then this could be a way of aiding the healing process,” he added.

The researchers at Purdue have used lasers in order to shape the silicone-based rubber into the insoles. There are also reservoirs that would help in releasing oxygen near the part of the foot which is infested with ulcer.

“Silicone is flexible and has good oxygen permeability,” Hongjie Jiang says, a postdoctoral researcher in electrical and computer engineering. “Laser machining helps us to tune that permeability and target just the wound site, which is hypoxic, rather than poison the rest of the foot with too much oxygen,” Jang added.

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