Vibrating boot that unblocks arteries in legs

LONDON: Lancashire researchers have brought a comfort alternative to boosts blood flow to the lower leg and foot by more than 40 per cent.

This vibrating plastic boot named FlowOx could help to clear clogged arteries in the leg, while the Lancashire's research team is leading trials under way at the Royal Oldham Hospital.

Careful study acknowledged that the device has been designed to treat peripheral arterial disease (PAD), which is assumed to affect 2.7 million Britons aged 55 or older.

Since arteries consume greater spread within the lower legs, where the condition can also occur in the arms — the cognate area becomes narrowed due to fatty deposits, called plaques, which gradually restricts blood flow, causing symptoms such as pain when walking, as mentioned in the related theories.

The poor circulation can also cause muscle and skin tissue to die, which may result in complications such as ulcers that won’t heal. Left untreated, these can result in infections and may mean the limb needs to be amputated.

Most patients are given drugs such as aspirin to thin the blood and reduce the risk of clotting. The device provides the simple solution as it pumps air in and out of the boot constantly, stimulating the movement of more oxygen-rich blood through clogged arteries.

According to the journal 'Physiological Reports', the boot showed that blood velocity — a measure of how quickly blood is flowing through the arteries — increased by 44 per cent after a couple of hours of treatment, as the boot switched between positive and negative air pressure in the space around the lower leg.