Health Rounds: Sound waves promote healing of diabetic foot ulcers

(This is an excerpt of the Health Rounds newsletter, where we present latest medical studies on Tuesdays and Thursdays.)

By Nancy Lapid

(Reuters) -High-energy sound waves can stimulate healing in patients with diabetes whose chronic foot wounds don’t respond to standard therapies, a team of Spanish researchers found.

Data pooled from five earlier randomized trials showed that patients were nearly three times more likely to see their wounds heal completely when so-called extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) was added to standard care, according to a report in Medical Sciences.

ESWT uses acoustic energy to stimulate growth of new blood vessels, help tissues regenerate, and reduce inflammation and scarring. The treatments are usually outpatient procedures, done without anesthesia.

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