Now, novel shoe insole to help heal diabetic ulcers

Scientists have developed a shoe insole that could help heal diabetic ulcers - a condition that often leads patients to lose their toes, foot or leg. Diabetes can lead to ulcers that patients do not feel or notice until the sight of blood. These ulcers can not heal on their own. Researchers from Purdue University in the US have made the healing process more portable for those who develop ulcers as a result of dia betes. "One of the ways to heal these wounds is by giving them oxygen," said Babak Ziaie, a professor at Purdue.

"We've created a system that gradually releases oxygen throughout the day so that a patient can have more mobility," said Ziaie. Diabetic ulcers commonly result from high blood sugar damaging nerves, which takes away feeling from the toes or feet. Without the ability to feel pain, hits and bumps tend to go unnoticed and skin tissue breaks down, forming ulcers. A lot of sugar in the bloodstream, along with dried skin as a consequence of diabetes, further slow the ulcer healing process.