Your feet can carry six times your body weight, and they withstand the force when you walk, exercise, or stand on them for long periods of time. Not only are your feet critical to your mobility, but they also help you maintain stability and balance. When you get a foot wound, it can be more than a distraction or a minor annoyance, especially when a cut or scrape becomes an ulcer. The pain of a foot wound can interfere with your daily activities and your ability to enjoy life. And without proper treatment, it can become infected, need surgery, or may cause the need for amputation.
At Central Kansas Podiatry Associates, Dr. Benjamin Weaver is wound-care certified. He sees many types of foot wounds and uses the latest techniques and technology to provide his patients with advanced wound care. Here, Dr. Weaver discusses treating a foot wound with DPMx tissue allograft.
What Is an Allograft?
An allograft is tissue, such as bone, ligaments, or skin, transplanted from a genetically dissimilar human donor to a recipient. It differs from an autograft, which is tissue taken from the patient's own body. Specifically, DPMx™ is a human birth tissue allograft derived from the umbilical cord, which is a type of human birth tissue.
Understanding DPMx Tissue Allograft
DPMx tissue allograft is a type of regenerative medicine product that uses minimally processed human birth tissue allografts from the umbilical cord to promote healing and support damaged soft tissue in a foot wound. These human birth tissues contain natural components like elastin and growth factors that help cells travel to the injury site, support tissue recovery, and reduce inflammation and pain. DPMx is designed to supplement lost cushioning and replace missing tissue, aiding in the reconstruction and regeneration of injured areas in the body. It is distinct from other allografts like DBM or amniotic membrane.
Benefits of DPMx
There are many advantages to DPMx as a treatment for foot wounds, including the following:
- DPMx is used to help regenerate and reconstruct injured soft tissue, particularly in the lower extremities.
- DPMx helps reduce and alleviate pain at the site of application by promoting healing.
- DPMx supplements or replaces missing tissue, which can help improve the body's ability to heal itself.
How it Works
DPMx contains growth factors that signal cells to travel to the injured area and help reconstruct damaged tissue. Its composition, including the extracellular matrix, provides structural support to injured areas, helping to replace lost cushioning. Additionally, the tissue has anti-inflammatory properties, helping to control inflammation and reduce the formation of scar tissue.
Key Differences Between Allograft and Autograft
Allograft is not the same as autograft therapy for your foot health. They differ in the following ways:
- Tissue transplant. An allograft is the transplant of an organ, tissue, or cells from one human donor to another human of the same species who is not an identical twin. An autograft uses tissue from your own body.
- Time to recover. DPMx eliminates the need for a second surgery to harvest tissue. This can reduce pain and recovery time.
- More readily available. With DPMx, tissue can be readily available from tissue banks in the desired quantity and size. With an autograft, there is a limited amount of tissue that a podiatrist can harvest safely from the patient’s body.
- Small risk of infection. With DPMx, there is minimal, though not zero, risk of disease transmission from the donor, due to rigorous screening and testing.
Primary Reasons Podiatrists Use DPMx
Podiatrists use DPMx allograft for chronic foot and ankle conditions because it is a foot-specific, human birth tissue (umbilical cord) allograft designed to restore lost cushioning, promote tissue regeneration, and improve structural support. This minimally invasive, injectable treatment uses naturally occurring tissue components to support the body's natural healing process and offer an alternative to invasive surgery or less effective steroid injections.
Additionally, DPMx can help reduce pain and inflammation associated with conditions like plantar fasciitis, tendinitis, and arthritis, leading to longer-lasting relief and improved quality of life. Specifically, podiatrists use this cutting-edge therapy because it:
- Restores foot support and cushioning. DPMx contains extracellular matrix components such as elastin and hyaluronan, which provide natural cushioning and structural support that may be lost due to age, injury, or chronic conditions.
- Stimulates natural healing. As a regenerative therapy, DPMx works with the body's own healing mechanisms to repair damaged tissue, promoting longer-lasting results than treatments that only mask pain.
- Provides podiatric specificity. DPMx is not a general allograft but is specifically engineered with components tailored for the unique demands of the foot and ankle, making it an advanced, foot-specific care solution.
- Alternative to surgery and steroids. It offers a non-surgical, minimally invasive treatment option that can provide an alternative to steroid injections or more aggressive surgical procedures, leading to less downtime and faster recovery.
- Minimally manipulated and safe. The DPMx allograft is minimally manipulated and processed by an FDA-registered, AATB-accredited facility from ethically donated birth tissue, ensuring safety and high quality.
Types of Foot Wounds
In general, a foot wound is any open injury or sore on the foot. It can be a small cut, gash, scrape, or any wound that doesn’t heal properly. These types of sores are caused by a breakdown of the skin and tissues of the feet and ankles and may become infected.
Foot and ankle ulcers typically fall into one of three categories based on appearance, location, and how they affect the skin:
- Venous ulcers. The most common type of venous ulcer is found on the foot or leg. It’s caused by damaged veins and faulty valves and often occurs in patients with a history of vein conditions and leg swelling.
- Neuropathic ulcers. These wounds are typically caused by nerve damage, often due to diabetes. They can lead to loss of sensation in the feet, so the ulcers may go unnoticed. These ulcers usually develop on the weight-bearing parts of the foot.
- Arterial (ischemic) ulcers. These ulcers result from insufficient blood flow due to peripheral artery disease (PAD). These ulcers are usually found on the edges of the feet or tips of the toes, and the lack of blood prevents them from healing properly.
Other Common Treatment Options for Foot Wounds
There are a variety of treatments podiatrists can use for foot wounds. Each has advantages, and Dr. Weaver will recommend treatment for your wound based on the severity of your wound and your symptoms. Dr. Weaver works collaboratively with his patients and will develop a treatment plan that could include any of the following:
- Debridement. Dr. Weaver will remove dead skin and damaged tissue from the wound, so there’s a clean environment for new tissue to grow. It’s an important step in treating foot ulcers and chronic wounds. Dr. Weaver may use enzymatic, autolytic, mechanical, or sharp debridement to remove the dead tissue.
- Off-Loading. This treatment takes pressure off a wound to allow it to heal. Foot ulcers, especially diabetic ulcers, often develop due to continuous pressure on certain areas of the foot. When the pressure is redistributed, the wound has a chance to heal and close. Dr. Weaver may use off-loading techniques such as recommending custom footwear or orthotics, removeable boots, or crutches to minimize the weight while standing or walking.
- Ultrasound Waves. A cutting-edge technology used at Central Kansas Podiatry Associates is called the UltraMIST System. UltraMIST promotes wound healing by delivering low-frequency ultrasound waves to the wound area without making direct contact. Dr. Weaver may use this to help treat diabetic foot ulcers, venous leg ulcers, pressure ulcers, and other chronic non-healing wounds.
Contact Central Kansas Podiatry Associates to Discuss DPMx
Allografts aren’t right for every patient. Generally, you need sufficient blood flow to your feet and to be free of active infection. Certain medical conditions and/or medications may interfere with healing. If you have an open wound that won’t heal, contact our foot clinic to discuss DPMx. The podiatry team at Central Kansas Podiatry Associates has the training to perform advanced tissue allograft procedures, and this treatment may be right for you. If you are struggling with a lower extremity wound or damaged foot or ankle tissue, reach out to us to learn more about the regenerative potential of tissue allografts.