Diabetes·Foot orthoses
Long-lasting protection for sensitive feet
ErgoPad foot orthoses for diabetics
From Bauerfeind Life Magazin on 01.03.2018
With diabetic patients, relieving pressure on the sole of the foot is essential in order to reduce the risk of pressure points and wounds. The new orthopedic foot orthoses, ErgoPad soft Diabetes and ErgoPad ID:Diabetes ensure that people with diabetes in risk categories 0 to VII1 get indication-specific foot cushioning.
Even patients with diabetic foot syndrome (DFS) who are in a low risk category should be provided with indication-specific foot cushioning. The ErgoPad soft Diabetes foot orthosis, with its multi-layer, long-sole design features soft padding with different levels of stiffness and provides differentiated cushioning.
On the foot side, a soft layer of Poron absorbs the first load impact and reduces pressure peaks when putting the foot down. Underneath that , Vepur, the viscoelastic soft foam exclusive to Bauerfeind, provides particularly long-lasting cushioning, since this specially developed polyurethane-based foam offers extremely high pressure and shock absorption, and long-lasting shape retention. The ability of the material to regain its shape after loading was measured in a continuous stress test.2 In this test , the ErgoPad soft Diabetes achieved a shape retention of 92.5% after one million step cycles.
Lastly, two firmer soft foam layers with 35° shore and 45° shore stabilize the ankle in the heel area, moderately support the foot arches, and correct foot misalignment. The ErgoPad soft Diabetes foot orthosis therefore ensures indication-specific foot cushioning for people with diabetes and foot deformities and/or loss of sensitivity resulting from polyneuropathy or peripheral arterial disease (PAD).
New milled foot orthosis with complete foot cushioning for diabetics
The Bauerfeind range now includes a milled foot orthosis with specially adapted foot cushioning for patients in DFS risk categories II to VII: the ErgoPad ID:Diabetes. With this foot orthosis too, the multi-layer, long-sole design features soft padding and Vepur to ensure absorption of loads, redistribution of pressure, and reduction of pressure peaks. The web application for creating the foot orthosis topology with Bodytronic ID:CAM uses a specially developed algorithm for optimal pressure distribution. The orthotist can individually combine the required thicknesses of soft padding at the computer and specifically use layers with different degrees of firmness to guide the foot , support the foot arches, and correct foot misalignments. Special pressure relief zones and functional elements can also be incorporated as required. After the individual modeling process, Bauerfeind then mills the foot orthosis to achieve the perfect fit for the patient’s foot , before sending it to the medical retailer. The orthotist then puts the final touches to the product and fits the milled orthoses precisely into the patient’s shoes.
1 From risk category IV, only in conjunction with custom-made shoes.
2 Test design for Bauerfeind continuous stress test and shape retention test available on request
Image: Bauerfeind