01747nas a2200193   4500000000100000008004100001260001300042653001100055653001200066653001000078100001400088245003400102856005900136300000900195490000700204050003200211520129600243022001401539       1990                            d  c1990 Mar10aHumans10aleprosy10aShoes1 aAntia N H00aPlastic footwear for leprosy.  uhttp://leprev.ilsl.br/pdfs/1990/v61n1/pdf/v61n1a09.pdf  a73-80 v61  aInfolep Library - available3 a<p>The anaesthetic foot in leprosy poses the most major problem in the rehabilitation of its patients. Various attempts have been made to produce protective footwear such as the microcellular rubber-car-tyre sandals. Unfortunately these attempts have had little success on a large scale because of the inability to produce them in large numbers and the stigma attached to such unusual footwear. While such footwear may be superior to the 'tennis' shoe in protecting the foot from injury by the penetration of sharp objects, it fails to distribute the weight-bearing forces which is the major cause of plantar damage and ulceration in the anaesthetic foot. This can be achieved by providing rigidity to the sole, as demonstrated by the healing of ulcers in plaster of paris casts or the rigid wooden clog. A new type of moulded plastic footwear has been evolved in conjunction with the plastic footwear industry which provides footwear that can be mass produced at a low price and which overcomes the stigma of leprosy. Controlled rigidity is provided by the incorporation of a spring steel shank between the sponge insole and the hard wearing plastic sole. Trials have demonstrated both the acceptability of the footwear and its protective effects as well as its hard wearing properties.</p>  a0305-7518