Diabetic Complications
If You Are Diabetic Read Everything Below:
Diabetes is on the rise in the USA and needs to be closely monitored. As your blood sugars begin to rise from most commonly a genetic link running in the family, improper eating, lack of exercise with weight gain this causes the pancreas to over work and finally need some assistance with medications to control the blood sugars.
If you know diabetes runs in the family then you should take the necessary precautions to lower your chances of needing medications. Increase your exercise and decrease your weight. Eat small and healthy proportions of food multiple times a day to increase your basal metabolic rate which will decrease your weight over time. Stay away from the “junk” foods or have small portions instead. Better yet eat vegetables for snacks and decrease alcohol intake which is high in sugars.
Always closely monitor your blood sugars daily if necessary to maintain a normal range of 80-100 mg/dl. Do daily foot checks to look for any hard cracking skin, red spots from shoe pressure, wetness between the toes, dry rashes, thick toenails, swelling in the foot and leg and anything that doesn’t look like it was there the last time you checked.
Diabetes can lead to a loss of sensation in the feet and thus lead to undetected trauma. I had a patient who came in because he saw blood on his sock and there was a nail in his shoe that pierced his foot multiple times and he never felt it. Always check the bottom of your shoes for any foreign objects and run your hand on the inside of the shoes so that you cut your hand and know it immediately instead of cutting your foot and not know it until it is too late.
All diabetics are recommended to wear a diabetic shoe or diabetic insert to offload the pressure points. At Mid-Ohio Foot & Ankle Specialists we will make a mold of your foot after you choose a shoe (plenty of fashionable selections nowadays) and then have the shoes custom made for your feet. Pressure points can lead to red spots and then to callous formation which can lead to ulcerations and in the worst case amputations. We also offer diabetic inserts for your regular shoes to offload the pressure points.
As a board certified wound care specialist I have seen more than my fair share of diabetic ulcers over the years. At Mid-Ohio Foot & Ankle Specialists we take every precaution to help offload pressure points and maintain your feet to lower your risk of skin breakdown leading to ulcers. Mid-Ohio Foot & Ankle Specialists offers routine maintenance consisting of diabetic nail care, callous debridement and periodic inspections of the feet including examination of the blood flow, nerve sensation and muscle strength to insure your feet will last a lifetime.
Foot Ulcers
The Most Common Ulcerations are:
Ischemic (arterial) ulcerations due to poor circulation causing thinning of the skin and a painful white or light pink superficial ulceraton. These are most commonly located near pressure point areas. Most patients will require a bypass or stent in the affected limb to help increase the blood flow to the area. Ischemic ulcerations can also lead to black toes called wet or dry gangrene and will require amputation.
Venous ulcerations are due to a lack of return of the blood to the heart and leads to subsequent pooling in the lower legs and feet and can also caused from not elevating the legs throughout the day. These most commonly appear on the inside of the lower leg and become large and have a beefy red appearance with clear drainage. Treatment consists of compression therapy to reduce the edema and ulcer grafts most commonly to help heal the area.
At Mid-Ohio Foot & Ankle Specialists we do an in-depth evaluation of the lower extremities which includes a specialized blood pressure cuff in-office test to determine the blood flow to see if there are any possible blockages. We take x-rays to inspect the structure and quality of the bone stock. We evaluate the nerve sensation in both feet to check for any decrease which can lead to undetected trauma. Finally we formulate a plan of care for you to help guide you in taking care of your feet.
