About

Plantar neuropathy is a result of damage to the peripheral nerves which often causes symptoms of numbness, pain, and muscle weakness. Damage to the peripheral nerves can be caused by traumatic injuries, infections, diseases or disorders such as metabolic disorders such as diabetes, and, in many cases, the cause is unknown. Current screening methods for peripheral neuropathy are nerve conduction velocity and EMG testing which is painful to the patient, nerve biopsy which is invasive and can cause neuropathic side effects, skin biopsy which is invasive, difficult, and expensive, vibration testing where the patient notifies when he/she can no longer perceive the vibration, and the Semmes Weinsten monofilament test where a patient indicates when the force of a wire is perceived, however, this requires training and is biased because it is performed by hand. As diabetes increases the risk of developing peripheral neuropathy and diabetes is prevalent throughout third world countries, the goal of this device is to diagnose the stages of plantar neuropathy for patients in third world countries.

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