Biomechanics of the foot in diabetes mellitus. Some theoretical considerations.

Although diabetes mellitus is a biochemical disease, it has biomechanical consequences for the lower extremity. Numerous alterations occur in the function of the foot and lower extremity in people with diabetes. This article evaluates biomechanical alterations of the foot in the presence of neuropathy in patients with diabetes in the context of several theoretical concepts. Further study of these hypotheses will result in a better understanding of how diabetes causes elevated plantar pressures and the potential of strategies to prevent these changes so that the burden of diabetic foot disease can be reduced.