Diabetic foot Ulcer healing

Diabetes is a chronic metabolic disorder with elevated blood glucose levels resulting from the body’s inability to produce or use insulin. It’s becoming a global health problem affecting an estimated 463 million adults worldwide. The most common complication of diabetes is diabetic foot ulcers. They are defined as lesions that involve a break in the skin with loss of epithelium (thin outer tissue) and can extend deeper into bones and muscle. Shockwave therapy aims to stimulate healing by creating shear forces in the tissue and is indicated for lesions with delayed healing, burns, venous and arterial ulcers, ultra pressure ulcers, and diabetic patients. Shockwave therapy promotes wound healing in soft tissues. This analysis investigated randomized controlled trials that evaluated the efficiency of shockwave therapy vs standard treatment (debridement, glucose control, footwear modifications). To be involved in the analysis participants had to meet certain criteria such as patients had to be diagnosed with diabetic foot ulcer, utilize both extracorporeal shockwave therapy and standard treatments, and measure the healing rate of diabetic foot ulcer as main outcome. The main finding in this analysis is that extracorporeal shockwave therapy significantly increases the complete ulcer healing rate compared to just standard care alone. Patients who receive shockwave therapy are almost 3 times more likely to achieve complete ulcer closure. Shockwave therapy promoted angiogenesis (formation of new blood vessels) and has been shown to have anti-inflammatory and antibacterial effects. This therapy also helps make the pain that patients suffering with diabetic foot ulcer less severe.   

Ruiz-Muñoz M, et al, (2025) 13(4):219, Medical Sciences (Basel),  

Efficacy of Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy in the Management of Chronic Diabetic Foot Ulcer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis                           

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12550995/pdf/medsci-13-00219.pdf