About one in three people with diabetes will develop a foot ulcer during their lifetime. Foot ulcers occur because diabetes reduces the blood supply to the veins and feet over time, leading to poor circulation and formation of foot ulcers.

While many shoe insoles have been created over the years to reduce the problem of foot ulcers, new technology focuses on creating pressure-altering shoe insoles.

The new technology "works by cyclically relieving pressure from different areas of the foot, allowing soft tissues a period of rest and improving blood flow. This approach aims to maintain the health of the skin and tissues, Which reduces the risk of diabetic foot ulcers,” said Muthu BJ Wijesundara, principal research scientist at the University of Texas at Arlington Research Institute, USA.

Muthu said the innovative insole technology addresses the problem of skin and soft tissue breakdown in diabetic patients caused by repeated stress on the foot while walking.

Because the problem of foot ulcers is so big, "it's exciting that we might be able to make a real difference to so many people's lives," he said in an article in the peer-reviewed International Journal of Lower Extremity Wounds.