Conventional podiatric intervention and phototherapy in the treatment of diabetic ulcers

Contemporary podiatry care involves a dynamic management plan to treat type 2 diabetes mellitus lower-limb ulcerations. Phototherapy is a noninvasive form of light therapy that has been shown to accelerate the healing rate of diabetic ulcers. This study aimed to establish whether the application of phototherapy combined with podiatric treatment improved the rate of wound healing of chronic diabetes mellitus foot ulcers. Patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus presenting with chronic lower-limb ulcers were divided into three groups: group 1 were treated with podiatric management and placebo phototherapy; group 2 were treated similarly, but with the addition of phototherapy on the ulcer(s); and group 3 were treated similarly but phototherapy was applied to the regional lymphatic nodes and ulcer(s). The rate of healing increased in all three groups, however, in this study, 67% of ulcers that were managed received some form of phototherapeutic intervention and 40% of those ulcers resolved completely in a period of <8 weeks with no adverse effects being reported by any of the participants. It is evident that a combination of conventional podiatric intervention and phototherapy has the ability to improve wound regeneration and decrease the level of secondary complications.