Offloading is a term used to take pressure away from an area of the body. When wounds develop, there are usually three factors involved:
It comes down to having enough blood flow to heal the wound, the wound must be clean with no infection and we must make sure that there is little or no pressure.
Our Certified Orthotists work with your wound team to make sure that we minimize pressure on the wound. There are many different solutions for offloading and your Certified Orthotist will assess you to provide the one that is best for your specific needs. Our expert clinicians provide treatment that is guided by research and over 20 years of wound care experience. We follow Best Practice Recommendations such as Wounds Canada Best Practice Guidelines.
>Wounds may occur on the feet of people who have peripheral neuropathy due to complications of diabetes.
Custom made foot orthoses are used to redistribute pressure away from the area of concern. They are usually used in combination with orthopaedic shoes, removeable cast walkers or offloading boots.
Rockered shoes with a stiff sole provide protection for the toes and forefoot. They are extra deep and wide to accommodate the foot and often a custom made foot orthosis. Sometimes they are modified to add a buttress, lift or other custom adjustment.
This specialty shoe allows for easy dressing changes, fluctuations in volume for swelling and offers offloading of the heel. We do need to be careful with this one for people who have balance issues.
This specialty shoe allows for easy dressing changes, fluctuations in volume for swelling and offers offloading of the toes and forefoot. We do need to be careful with this one for people who have balance issues.
Speciality shoes such as this Darco Wound Care Shoe System allow for variable dressing sizes, swelling and modifications to offload the wound.
Removable cast walkers protect the foot and ankle from further injury and redistribute pressure away from wounds. They are especially useful for wounds under the toes or front part of the foot.
The CROW works like a total contact cast (TTC) or a removable cast walker (RCW) except that it is custom made to the person’s foot and leg to fit exactly right. It provides the benefits of a TCC offloading with the ability to remove to check the skin of a RCW.
The Total Contact Cast (TTC) is a specially applied cast that protects and offloads the wound. It provides optimal offloading but it does not allow for dressing changes.
