A comparative study between total contact casting and conventional dressings in the non-surgical management of diabetic plantar foot ulcers

Of all non-traumatic amputations 50% occur in Diabetics, mostly as a final outcome of foot ulcers. A major biomechanical factor in the causation of foot ulcers in persons with diabetes mellitus is elevated peak plantar pressure. Offloading the ulcer area in the form of equalisation of pressure across the plantar surface can accelerate healing of the ulcer. Total contact casting is one such method of offloading, and this study attempts to investigate the advantages of the above method as compared to conventional dressings in the physiatric management of the depth--ischaemia grades 1A, 1B, 2A, 2B neuropathic plantar ulcers in a diabetic patient. The outcome measure was the time taken for complete resolution of the ulcers. Of the 29 patients in Category A treated with total contact casting involving a total of 39 foot ulcers, 36 healed, which was statistically significant (p < 0.05) as compared to 25 out of the 33 ulcers healing in Category B consisting of 26 patients treated by conventional dressings alone. Total contact casting is an effective, rapid, economical, ambulatory and outpatient--based method for the treatment of diabetic foot ulcers.