The use of casting techniques in foot ulcer treatment: a literature review

Total contact casts (TCCs) continue to be considered as the gold standard offloading option for the treatment of neuropathic diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs). Although evidence in the literature continue to prove the efficacy of TCCs as the optimum option for offloading and expediting the healing process of ulcers, in reality they are very minimally used. This was evidenced in both Europe and the United States with a very low percentage of cast utilisation (Prompers et al., 2008 and Wu et al., 2008). As a result, several cast modalities have been developed in order to facilitate the use of this intervention for the treatment DFUs. Therefore, the aims of this critical review were to explore the literature regarding efficacy the different casting modalities alongside TCCs … read more