Effectiveness Combination of Foot Care with Active Range of Motion (ROM) and Plantar Exercise for Reducing Diabetic Foot Ulcer Risk in Diabetes Mellitus Type II

Diabetic Foot Ulcer (DFU) is a devastating complication of diabetes mellitus and affects 15% of people with diabetes mellitus. Approximately 50-70% all of lower limb amputations are due to DFU. Moreover, DFU causes losses in financial and physical distress. The American Diabetes Association stated that preventive care could decrease DFU risk. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of a combination of foot care with active ROM and plantar exercise for preventing DFU and reducing its risks. Thirty-four people with diabetes mellitus type 2 who fulfilled the inclusion criteria were selected randomly and divided to control and intervention groups. They were assessed by questionnaires and observation checklist. The pre-test was assessed using Inlow’s 60-second diabetic foot screening tool. All the subjects got daily foot care for two weeks. But subjects in the intervention group got the combination of daily foot care every day and active Range of Motion (ROM), and plantar exercise every two days. The data were analyzed statistically (dependent and independent-test) The result showed that there was a significant difference before and after intervention in both groups. But the contribution of risk decrease in the intervention group (40.1%) was higher than the control one (14.3%). There was a significant influence of the combination of daily foot car with ROM and plantar exercise (p-value 0.000). This combination of daily foot care with ROM and Plantar Exercise is recommended to prevent the complication of Diabetes Mellitus.