Save Your Leg with the Circulator Boot

Poor circulation is a major cause of non healing wounds, ulcers and chronic pain in your legs and feet. Skin ulcers develop when blood flow is no longer able to supply the nutrients and oxygen needed by the tissues. This is the result of artaneries d veins that have deteriorated and lost their capacity, often as a complication to diabetes.

Some forms of vascular disease can be corrected by surgical procedures, but many cases are inoperable. If a wound or ulcer is not responding to conservative treatment, the deterioration process will continue. However, there is an effective treatment available so that you can keep your toes, feet and legs.

Circulator Boot Therapy Program

The Circular Boot uses air pressure to provide a continuous series of gentle, short-duration compression pulses. The main reason that the system works so well is that the timing of the compressions is controlled by its cardiac monitor, attached to your chest. The accurately timed pressure pulses occur between heart beats.

Doctors who are familiar with the Circulator Boot recommend it as an excellent method for treating and correcting circulation problems. A recent article, from the Mayo Clinic & Foundation, published in Vascular Medicine, reported that "Complete ulcer healing as well as preservation of the affected limb can be achieved in most cases."¹

As well as providing an immediate boost to arterial and venous circulation, the procedure slowly breaks down clots. It increases the breakdown of plaque within the arteries by the release of nitric oxide and PGI₂ from the endothelial cells of the capillaries. Nitric oxide is a vasodilator and activator of angiogenesis (formation of new arteries). PGI₂ is a vasodilator and inhibitor of platelet aggregation. Oxygen and nourishment increase. You will see swelling and pain subside with the first few sessions. As circulation is restored with each further session, the body can begin to heal itself.

It is important for you to begin boot therapy early, at the first sign of an erupting problem if possible. The healing process develops more quickly when extensive tissue damage has not yet occurred.

Without Circulator Boot treatment, amputation of the affected area is the usual end result when faced with continuing deterioration, infection, gangrene and pain.  Most amputations start with only a minor injury to your foot or leg.  It leads to a syndrome of medical complications, further amputations and permanent disability.  There is a huge continuing cost to yourself and your caregiver in quality of life, lost income and large expenses.

The Treatment Session

Based on a thorough assessment of your condition, the Circulator Boot treatments will be customized to your specific requirements.

There are mini boots for the foot and long boots for the full leg. The foot is wrapped in a bag which can contain a multi electrolyte soak solution and an antibiotic if needed. Where both legs have pain and lameness, two boots are used.

The typical treatment time is 40 minutes, plus pre-soak time and dressing, within a one-hour clinic session. With a schedule of three to five treatments per week, a minor ulcer can heal in four weeks. A severely diseased leg could take 15 to 25 weeks to save. A typical treatment program spans about eight weeks.

As circulation returns, you see a healthy pink colour, the size of the wound decreases, pain fades and tactile sensation returns. The results are lasting.

The Circulator Boot, described as a cardio synchronous, end-diastolic, pneumatic compression boot, is neither an alternate form of therapy, nor an expensive option to conventional treatment. It is the primary non-surgical method of treatment for arterial and venous insufficiency. It is a complementary treatment before and after bypass surgery. It is a viable option for those who are not candidates for surgery and offers only positive effects on other forms of treatment. It is not experimental; the Circulator Boot has been used successfully for more than 20 years. The treatment process is well understood.

Where to Get Treatment

If planning to travel to one of the clinics for treatment, you should discuss all costs, arrangements and questions directly with the clinic coordinator. In Canada, submit cost estimates to your provincial Ministry of Health and any applicable private health insurance plan.

Without Circulator Boot treatment, you can face a continuing and ever increasing series of doctor visits, home-care treatments, hospital stays, multiple surgical procedures and prosthesis fitting. Your quality of life will be significantly reduced, and your out-of-pocket expenses will be many times higher than the cost of the treatments.

Progress is faster when boot therapy is started early. An apparently stable condition can suddenly flare up, necessitating an urgent amputation.  You can usually start right away, with no wait. There is very little risk.

If you have questions about any aspects of Circulator Boot therapy, call for information.

The Circulator Boot is a safe alternative to amputation. You can treat pain, lameness and ulcerated areas effectively and restore your quality of life.

Reference 1. Vella, A., Circulator Boot therapy alters the natural history of ischemic limb ulceration. Vascular Medicine 2000; 5: 21-25.

BIOMATION distributes the Circulator Boot, supplies other quality wound healing equipment, and provides training in clinical technique.

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