Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE) launched a ‘laser shoe’, which is a laser instrument developed for diabetic peripheral neuropathic pain on Friday.
The shoe has been developed with financial grant from the Union Department of Science and Technology, a MAHE release said.
Launching the product, Pro Chancellor of MAHE H.S. Ballal said that there is a need for cost-effective pain management for neuropathic pain in diabetes mellitus. In India there is increasing prevalence of diabetes and need for early screening of complication associated with diabetes mellitus especially foot related complications in diabetes, he said.
Principal investigator of the project G. Arun Maiya, Professor and Dean, Manipal College of Health Professions, said that the product is clinically validated and is now ready for commercialisation. An effective means of identifying and treating peripheral neuropathy would have a major impact medically, socially as well as economically, as foot ulceration paves the way to 80% of amputations.
Dr. Maiya said that the existing available laser instruments used for pain management of various musculoskeletal conditions and tissue healing are not specific to the foot region. The existing scanning method of laser application to the foot is not covering the entire area of the foot to improve microcirculation of the foot.
“Considering the higher burden of diabetic peripheral neuropathy in the Indian population, we have developed and validated laser shoe technology a cost-effective laser instrument, focusing exclusively on the entire foot region for the management of neuropathic pain in people living with type II diabetes mellitus,” the release quoted him of having said.
