Leeds researchers to provide better foot care for arthritis patients
Researchers in Leeds have been awarded charitable funding to develop custom-made specialised insoles to help people with rheumatoid arthritis with severe foot problems.
The new process should speed up the time a custom-made insole can be produced from up to six weeks to just 24 hours, relieving patients' pain and increasing mobility.
Dr Jim Woodburn, academic podiatrist and Senior Research Fellow at the Academic Unit of Musculoskeletal Disease at the University of Leeds, with colleagues Dr Cathy Barnes and Dr Kenny Dalgarno in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, have been awarded more than £90,000 over three years from the Arthritis Research Campaign to carry out the work.
Around 387,000 people in the UK suffer from rheumatoid arthritis, a potentially crippling inflammatory condition which leads to painful, swollen joints. During the course of their disease, most people develop painful and disabling foot problems, and shoe fit and comfort can be greatly affected by foot deformities.
"In the past, orthoses - specially shaped inserts which fit inside the shoe - have been found to be effective for relieving pain and increasing mobility," explained Dr Woodburn. "We believe they work by removing pressure from painful areas and by re-aligning the foot."
Currently two types of insole are available for RA patients; standardised devices designed for generic foot problems, or custom-made devices which tend to be expensive, and a lengthy manufacturing process can delay vital treatment.
"The best othoses are custom-made but these take four to six weeks to make," said Dr Woodburn. "This research project will examine how improved clinical processes and new manufacturing technologies may be used to provide cost-effective custom-made orthoses within 24 hours. This means early and effective treatment to relieve pain, lessen disability and improve quality of life for patients."
Jim Woodburn is part of an ambitious programme of research at the University of Leeds dedicated to the foot and ankle, funded partly by the Arthritis Research Campaign and the Medical Research Council, and drawing on the expertise of rheumatologists, podiatrists and bioengineers. Leeds is a major centre for arc -funded research, and currently receives £2.5m on 22 grants.
