Diabetes often causes complications like foot ulcers. This happens when a diabetic patient does not manage their insulin treatments, diet, and exercise. It occurs due to the breaking down of skin tissue and exposure of the layers beneath.
Most common foot ulcers happen below the big toes and balls of the feet. They can not only affect your bones but also your feet. Diabetic patients can prevent foot ulcers by taking proper care of their feet.
Cause of Diabetic Foot Ulcers
Ulcers in diabetic patients happen due to the following reasons:
- Nerve damage
- Wounded or irritated feet
- Hyperglycemia or high blood sugar
- Poor circulation
Symptoms of Diabetic Foot Ulcers
Diabetic foot ulcers can stain the socks or leak into the shoe. Redness, swelling, odors, and irritation can be some of the first symptoms.
Your doctors can identify its seriousness on a scale of zero to five depending on the symptoms. These can be superficial or deeper ulcers.
Treatment for Diabetic Foot Ulcers
If you have pain from foot ulcers, you need to stay off from using your feet. This treatment refers to off-loading and it is very useful for the treatment of diabetic foot ulcers.
You can wear some items for the protection of the feet –
- Shoe inserts for preventing calluses and corns
- Foot braces
- Designed shoes for people who suffer from diabetes
- Compression wraps
- Casts
Doctors can eliminate foot ulcers by removing the dead skin or with debridement. Any infection of foot ulcer requires immediate treatment. However, treatment is not the same for all infections.
Ulcer tissues can be sent to laboratories to find out what kind of antibiotic can help. In case your doctor sees a serious infection, he may ask for an X-ray to look for a bone infection.
If you seek treatment for diabetic ulcers, you can Contact Dr. Chetan Oswal at Orthowin Clinic, Pune.