Novel Tactile Stimulation Using A Vibratory Foot Orthosis: A Preliminary Study

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Neuroscience
• Diabetology

Background:

• Diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) leads to tactile loss, increasing risks of foot ulceration and amputation.
• Current neurorehabilitation strategies for DPN focus on improving tactile sensibility.
• Vibrating insoles represent a novel therapeutic approach for DPN-related tactile deficits.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effectiveness of a newly designed vibratory foot orthosis (VFO) for tactile stimulation in DPN patients.
• To assess the VFO's ability to improve vibration perception thresholds (VPT).
• To evaluate the VFO as a non-invasive tool for DPN neurorehabilitation.

Main Methods:

• A vibratory foot orthosis (VFO) utilizing stochastic resonance (SR) with pseudorandom white noise (PRWN) was developed.
• Ten DPN patients participated in a pretest-posttest study.
• Vibration perception thresholds (VPT) were measured at the 1st and 5th metatarsophalangeal joints (MTP) of both feet before and after VFO intervention.

Main Results:

• The VFO significantly reduced VPT values across all measured MTP joints in both feet.
• Reductions in VPT ranged from 8.92% to 11.33% (P<.001 to P=.003).
• The VFO demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in tactile sensation.

Conclusions:

• The novel VFO design effectively enhances tactile sensation in individuals with DPN.
• The developed VFO is non-invasive, safe, and offers superior vibratory stimulation compared to previous designs.
• The VFO shows promise in preventing diabetic foot ulcers, recurrent ulcers, and lower limb impairments, contributing to neurorehabilitation.