Foot Ulcers: The Importance of Early Expert Wound Care

Did you know that foot ulcers require professional treatment as quickly as possible? In this blog, we tell you why as well as what a medical provider can do to manage the issue, and how you can avoid foot ulcers to start with.

Diabetes can cause a number of serious issues for your overall health. One is nerve damage, which affects about half of those living with the condition.

If you have diabetic neuropathy, you’re more prone to develop foot ulcers, which require wound care, a treatment that relies heavily on both timing and professional execution.

Southwest Foot & Ankle offers wound care for diabetic ulcers. Petrina C. Lewis, DPM, FACFAS, and Mark T. Lewis, DPM, FACFAS, understand how necessary it is to treat these wounds quickly and with the right type of care. Schedule an appointment at our Scottsdale, Arizona, clinic today if you see signs of this type of wound.

Foot ulcers 101: Why they happen and why they’re serious

Foot ulcers often occur when a person living with diabetes suffers nerve damage. This type of nerve damage is usually associated with your extremities, most often your feet. When you experience nerve damage in your feet as a result of unmanaged blood sugar levels, you may not be able to feel much at all.

Because most people aren’t looking at their feet all the time, the combination of not seeing and not feeling your feet can lead to serious problems. A small cut or nick that doesn’t heal, as a result of decreased blood flow in your extremities, might go unnoticed. It can worsen over time, leading to an ulcer.

Foot ulcers can require weeks or months to heal, and the longer they’re left untreated, the worse they get. There are plenty of things you can do at home to prevent foot ulcers, but it’s extremely important to seek help from a professional.

Treatment for a foot ulcer (and why early intervention is best)

Seeking treatment for your foot ulcer early on can mean the difference between saving a toe or your whole foot. Foot ulcers can cause the tissue to necrotize and may even become a threat to your life if they’re not treated quickly. This is why it’s so important to get care as soon as possible from a professional who can determine how serious your issue is.

Once under the treatment of a podiatrist, you can be treated in a number of ways. Debridement involves taking off any tissue that can’t be saved. This is never something you should do yourself; it must always be performed in a clinic like ours or another medical setting. Debridement can often help save your foot.

Other treatments may involve cleaning and dressing your wound, taking medications, skin grafting, and platelet-rich plasma (PRP) treatment.

These treatments can help manage your wound and jumpstart the healing process. In addition, there are things you can do at home, such as changing your daily activities, quitting smoking, and adjusting your diet.

Avoiding foot ulcers: Is it possible?

Yes. Trust us: If possible, you don’t want to experience this issue as your treatment will hinge on how severe your ulcer is and what tissue can be salvaged. To avoid getting a foot ulcer to start with, try these tips:

Examine your feet daily
Clean your feet with warm, soapy water, examining for nicks, scrapes, or other wounds
If you notice a wound, clean it thoroughly and let it air dry

If you have a wound, are treating it at home, and it isn’t healing, call us immediately.

Foot ulcers need professional care

When you’re living with diabetes and notice an open sore on your foot (especially one that doesn’t seem to heal), make sure to seek help. This kind of issue needs to be treated early and professionally by a licensed medical provider.

Make an appointment at Southwest Foot & Ankle today. Call our office at 480-900-7399 or schedule a visit online. We’re here to help.