If there’s one universal truth about diabetes, it’s that it can impact your entire health and wellness. Just ask any of the more than 38 million Americans with diabetes and dealing with common impacts like nerve damage, vision issues, and poor circulatory health.
If you find yourself in this group, perhaps the biggest threat to your health is diabetic foot ulcers, which affect about one-third of people with diabetes at some point in their lives. More alarming is the fact that half of these ulcers will develop infection, and 20% of these infections will lead to amputation.
Each November, the medical community shines the spotlight on diabetes through National Diabetes Month, and our team of foot health experts at Neuhaus Foot and Ankle wants to participate in this effort.
We understand the devastating impact that diabetes can have on your lower limbs, and we want to do our part to prevent permanent damage. That means helping you stay one step ahead of foot and ankle wounds.
The primary reason why your feet and ankles are at risk of diabetes complications is due to peripheral neuropathy. This side effect is among the most common and affects nearly half of people with diabetes.
Peripheral neuropathy occurs when high blood glucose levels damage the blood vessels that supply nerves. This tends to have the greatest impact in places distant from the heart, like the lower limbs.
This nerve damage can lead to numbness in your feet, which can make it difficult to sense when there's a problem. For example, perhaps you’re wearing new shoes that are rubbing your feet, but you don’t feel the friction because of numbness in your feet. So, the friction turns into an open blister and foot wound before you know it.
It’s one thing to injure your feet because of nerve damage, but this is just the start of what can turn into a very long and life-changing process.
The same blood flow issues that are damaging your nerves also make it challenging for wounds to heal. Under normal circumstances, wounds go through a four-stage healing process:
These stages rely on optimal blood flow to deliver the necessary oxygen and resources. When your blood flow is compromised because of diabetes, your wound struggles to get past the first two stages.
When a wound can’t heal, it’s wide open to harmful and infection-causing bacteria that can spread deeper into your tissues and into your bone. The more the infection spreads, the more vulnerable you become to gangrene, and amputation can become necessary to contain the infection.
If we haven’t made this clear, it’s imperative that you come to see us for any wound on your foot if you have diabetes — even a burst blister. No matter how small your wound is, early intervention is critical for preventing infection and keeping healing on track.
So, if you have a wound anywhere on your lower legs, ankles, or feet or have questions about diabetic foot ulcers, please don’t hesitate to contact one of our 18 conveniently located foot and ankle clinics across Tennessee to schedule an appointment.
