BackgroundNon-removable offloading devices are recommended for the treatment of uncomplicated plantar diabetic foot ulcers because adherence to using removable devices is low. However, patients may not always understand how crucial the non-removability is to ulcer healing, leaving them with the impression that it is the device per se that heals the ulcer. Thus, after ulcer healing when patients return to using removable offloading devices, typically therapeutic footwear, they often return to a low level of adherence resulting in high reulceration rates. To change this pattern of behavior based on a misconception, we need to start with how we as clinicians are conceptualizing treatment with offloading devices.
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