Why
Visual Footcare

• Think Tank

Dr. Andrew Boulton,
Interview: August, 2009
On difficulty in diagnosing Neuropathy

Dr. David Armstrong and patient
Seeing is Believing

Why Visual Footcare^TM

Diabetes is a hidden predator, and a growing health concern worldwide

When left undetected, Diabetes can have dramatic, even tragic, results. Among the millions of sufferers, an estimated 60%-70% will develop foot-related health problems. Foot ulcers (open wounds) are the leading cause of lower extremity amputation and avoidable hospitalization in the diabetic patient population.

Ulceration Risk Factors are INVISIBLE

Foot ulcers are known to primarily result from the combination of a two key, but invisible risk factors:

• Neuropathy (resulting in loss of protective sensation and dry, brittle skin); and
• High Focal Plantar Pressure (resulting from motor neuropathy, which causes foot deformities and bony protrusions pushing against the skin). 

Due to the difficulty in detecting the "invisible" and otherwise "subjective" signs of neuropathy and plantar pressure, lower extremity neuropathy and high plantar pressure are frequently not evaluated during examination and subsequently these key risk factors go unrecognized.

These combinations of risk factors act in concert by creating the situation where repetitive stress against an already weakened area of the skin causes injury, then inflammation and then finally a break in the skin and ulceration. 

Because patients with neuropathy have lost the "gift of pain," they are unable to "feel" when a cut or bruise is developing. Without a natural warning mechanism (pain) to alert them to a devolping problem, their first sign that something is wrong is a break in the skin or a bloody sock. Once there is a break in the skin and an ulcer has developed, it is often too late.

The Visual Footcare^TM Solution — Evidence-Based and Compliant with
Clinical Practice Guidelines

With the introduction of our compelling new line of "visual-based" diagnostic products, Visual Footcare^TM has revolutionized the early identification and preventive monitoring of these invisible ulceration risk factors. By providing clear, visual results that can be seen and easily understood, our suite of proprietary diagnostic tools help patients to better understand and monitor their at-risk conditions and assist healthcare providers to objectively risk-stratify patients in a standardized manner.