IndiRock'nSole

INDIvidualized ROCKer shoes and inSOLE for people with Diabetic Neuropathy Research
INDIvidualized ROCKer shoes and inSOLE for people with Diabetic Neuropathy
60 million European citizens are diagnosed with Diabetes Mellitus (DM), and up to 25% of them will develop diabetic foot ulcers (DFU). This often has severe consequences: Every 30 seconds somewhere in the world a DFU related amputation takes place. INDIvidualized ROCKer shoes and inSOLE for people with Diabetic Neuropathy (IndiRock’nSole), aims to prevent this.

The effectiveness of current shoe solutions largely depends on the individual skills of the shoe technician. These skills determine the adequacy of the shape of the insole and more. As shoe technicians are unaware of what happens inside the shoe, some pressure measuring solutions have been developed that aid the shoe technician in deciding how to shape the insole and the shoe. The results however leave room for improvement and the issue of foot shape changing over time remains unaddressed. As a result healthcare focuses on wound care.

IndiRock’nSole is an innovative shoe concept that will tackle this problem. Our solution consists of a 3D printed midsole, the shape of which is determined by an algorithm, and a self-adjusting insole. With DFU prevention we will keep these patients mobile.

Relevance

How our research benefits to society

Currently too many patients (100 million) develop DFUs, leading to a huge burden on patient health (wound management, pain, immobility). The current focus is on DFU treatment instead of prevention, which also means that healthcare costs are high. The treatment costs for one ulcer are over €10.000. With our focus on prevention, we not only make life easier for patients, but also address this economic burden.

Partners

The project is funded by EIT Health, and led by the UMCG. Through EIT Health’s network, we are collaborating with different partners to realise our goals. Together with the University of Coimbra and the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm (KTH), and our business partners Lode Holding and OIM Orthopedie, we are working to introduce the solution on the market by the end of the project.

Timeline

  1. Start of clinical trials

    Posted

    June 2021
    Start of the first clinical trial in Groningen

  2. Focus Groups

    Posted

    December 2020 - January 2021
    Several focus groups were organised with patients

     

  3. Start of the project

    Posted

    Januari 1, 2020

    Kick-off with all partners was organised in January 2020, at the UMCG

This project is part of