IVO-Congress shows variety of topics on international scale - What makes treatment with shoes in Japan difficult

 

What makes treatment with shoes in Japan difficult

Hideki Endoh talked about the difficulties of the treatment of patients with the diabetic foot syndrome in Japan. According to statistics from the year 2013 the number of amputations at the lower extremities in diabetic patients caused through lesions has increased to more than 10 000 cases per year. Apparently there is not enough awareness for a health management at the foot. This is also caused by peculiarities of the Japanese society: On the one hand shoes only have a short tradition and on the other hand even today only few people wear shoes from morning to night. Also people do not spend a lot of money on shoes. The high temperatures and the humidity are an additional problem.

A study, presented by Endoh, showed that most Japanese diabetic patients with PAD were convinced that they wore fitting shoes - even if these caused ulcers and ulcerations. From that he concluded that physicians, therapists and orthopedic shoemakers have to explain to patients better what fitting shoes exactly are. He also appealed to look for a better solution for patients regarding the Japanese peculiarities. For example it is often sufficient to use a shoe instead of a boot as treatment due to the physical condition.