What Researchers Did
Researchers reviewed existing studies on how extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT) helps heal diabetic foot ulcers.
What They Found
They found that extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT) significantly improved and sped up the healing of complex soft tissue wounds in diabetic foot ulcers compared to standard treatments. ESWT also showed positive results for both short-term and long-term outcomes in patients with these ulcers.
What This Means for Canadian Patients
For Canadian patients with diabetic foot ulcers, this review suggests that extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT) could be an effective treatment option to promote healing. While this study focuses on ESWT, diabetic foot ulcers are also a condition for which hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) is recognized by Health Canada as a treatment to improve wound healing and reduce amputation risk.
Canadian Relevance
This study covers diabetic foot ulcers, which is a Health Canada-recognized indication for hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT).
Study Limitations
As a review article, this study summarizes existing research but does not present new patient data or clinical trials.