An estimated 371 million people are presently suffering from a varying degree of one of the most common diseases worldwide, Diabetes mellitus. With the number only moving forward, the number of people seeking medical help and treatments is also increasing. Diabetes has several side effects, which can range from non-threatening to completely taking up an individual’s lifestyle.
One of the most common complications of diabetes mellitus is diabetic foot ulcers. Also known as diabetic foot syndrome, it is a long-lasting and non-healing chronic skin condition in diabetic patients.
Causes for Diabetic Foot Ulcers are:
- Improper choice of footwear
- Foot deformation
- Limited mobility of the joints
- Peripheral arterial occlusive disease
Classification of Diabetic ulcers can be divided into three types based on the severity of the foot syndrome in the Diabetic patient;
- Mild, the abscess is superficial in-depth and size
- Moderate, the abscess is more profound and extensive
- Severe, the abscess is with symptoms and metabolic perturbations
In diabetic patients, diabetic foot syndrome commonly leads to limb amputations. It is one of the most prevalent causes of amputation. Although this amputation procedure is non-traumatic, it can affect the individual’s way of life. It can have a significant impact on the patient’s way of life and also on their finances.
Doctors estimate that close to fifteen percent of diabetic patients will suffer from the complications of a diabetic foot ulcer. As a foot ulcer is in itself defined as impossible to heal, several patients are approaching unconventional treatments to help manage this complication. These alternative processes help stimulate healing and make the patient’s quality of life better and manageable.
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Treatment:
The standard and conventional methods to help diabetic foot syndrome involve different kinds of wound cleansing, skin grafting, use of antibiotics, vasodilators, and various forms of pain management. These treatments also include the use of different types of bandages, and desperation often leads to the use of fly maggots for treatment and management of this complication.
In most cases, these pre-existing care systems can often prove to be unsatisfactory or frustrating for the diabetic patient. A promising alternative for this has been found and are in play for quite a while now.
Also Read: 6 Great Home Remedies for Diabetes to Control Blood Glucose Levels
Class Four Laser therapy (Low Level Laser therapy) is a non-invasive and pain-free method that is a possible treatment for the management and healing of diabetic foot syndrome. Also known as soft laser, this treatment supplies direct bio-stimulative light energy to the cells in the body, which in turn stimulates the molecules and atoms of the cells while avoiding the significant rise in the temperature of the tissue.
Experts have come to the conclusion that this treatment has a stimulating effect on the cells, and this use of lasers to stimulate wound healing and manage pain in cases of non- healing ulcers is highly recommended and also eases the pain of the diabetic patients. Use of the class four laser therapy not only shows results such as a decrease in the size of the wound but also showed a significant healing effect on the tissues surrounding the ulcer.
Advantages of Class Four Laser Treatment (Low Level Laser Therapy) include;
- The decrease in the size of the wound
- Healing of surrounding tissue
- Reduction in the size of the ulcer
- Faster wound healing
- Control of infection
- Pain management
- Cost-effective
How Does Laser Therapy Work?
The class four laser therapy works by communicating with the receptors present on the cells and provides information to the mitochondrion. This information is then sent to the DNA of the cell, which is directly responsible for the function of the cell. The nature of the cell dictates that, when a cell receives quality information, it can also perform better. This principle also goes for tissues, bones, ligaments, cartilage, etc.
Through this process, laser therapy successfully promotes the healing of ulcers caused by diabetes and the regeneration of damaged tissues surrounding the wound. It not only shows positive effects on the localized wound area but also has an overall impact on the whole body with systemic carried has implications throughout the body by the blood.
The use of class four laser therapy has been expanding over the past forty years; application of this treatment also has been used in various therapeutic fields. All the studies done in testing the use of this unconventional treatment for the stimulation of wound healing and pain management has been positive.
Final Words:
Diabetes can be a complicated disease to manage, and its complications only worsen the situation. Several diabetic individuals have been on the prowl for treatments that help them. Either in the healing or the management of their challenging lifestyle. Class four laser therapy has proven to be of great help in achieving these goals so far. A highly praised treatment that is also cost-effective and pain-free could be just the thing a diabetic individual could be looking for.