Her lapse is not unique. Researchers from the New York College of Podiatric Medicine surveyed 110 urban patients with various types of partial foot amputations, and found that only half wore a shoe insert. Perhaps most telling, only one patient, with a transmetatarsal amputation, used a brace, and only one patient wore a modern, cosmetic partial-foot prosthesis. This is bad news, because shoe inserts and orthoses aren't just a matter of cosmetics and comfort. The risk of infection and ulceration only intensifies after a patient has undergone a partial foot amputation, said Ellen Sobel, DPM, PhD, associate professor of podiatric orthopedics at the college and lead author of the study.
Amputations are prone to infection and heal slowly.
And amputations cause imbalances in the complex musculature that supports the foot. During walking, these imbalances place excessive pressure on areas of the foot not accustomed to bearing weight, which can also lead to ulcers. That's where proper shoes, inserts, and braces come in, Sobel said. They shore up these imbalances, and direct the pressure incurred from walking to areas of the foot that can best withstand it. They make walking more comfortable, they ensure a proper gait, and, based on research that determined that amputations lead to increased morbidity and mortality, therapeutic footwear may also tack a few years onto a patient's life.