Are you suffering from a non-healing ulcer in your foot? Medifyhome is here to help. Foot ulcers are very common in diabetics because of the loss of sensation in the feet and their increased susceptibility to infections. They are also a very common concern in old diabetics and are a very important part of diabetic foot care.
Proper treatment of the ulcer prevents it from getting complicated and causing further damage to the surrounding structures.
A Diabetic foot ulcer is a skin ulcer found in the feet of diabetic patients due to injuries that happen due to improper foot care and protection of the feet. Not wearing slippers, walking on hard ground, or walking on unruly paths can lead to minor injuries to the skin of the foot. It is usually seen in people who have had diabetes for years. It can lead to the poor sensation of touch on the peripheral parts of the body, like the foot, due to diabetes-induced nerve damage, vessel disease, or improper foot care.
It is a condition that can be easily handled in the early stages. Still, it requires urgent attention as it can swiftly deteriorate to reach tissue planes below the skin, even to the bones, causing osteomyelitis in some patients.
A diabetologist or a general surgeon can quickly diagnose a diabetic foot ulcer on a physical examination. They may ask questions about the course of the ulcer, how it happened, whether you have diabetes, and what measures have been taken to treat it. They may also request investigations to make the treatment more specific, such as:
This can help choose the proper surgical or medical methods to combat the infection.
Diabetic foot care is an essential part of diabetic care in general as a protection from the dreaded foot ulcers and their complications. It can be done through the following steps:
The treatment for diabetic foot ulcers can be conservative or operative. Conservative treatment will comprise the following:
1.Antibiotics.
2.Pain medication.
3.Local antibiotics.
4.Regular dressing.
5.Freshening of the edges of the ulcer to encourage healing.
6.Control of poorly controlled diabetes with insulin and appropriate diabetic medication.
7.Application of gels with bioactive ingredients to boost collagen formation.
Untreated diabetic foot ulcers can lead to severe complications, including loss of limb, and therefore should be diagnosed and treated at the earliest. Some of the complications are as follows:
1.Forefoot or foot gangrene due to thrombosis of blood vessels supplying blood to a particular body part.
2.Osteomyelitis or infection of the underlying bone.
3.Necrotizing fascitis spreads the infection to the other fascial planes of the foot apart from the skin and subcutaneous tissue.
The following are the signs and symptoms of diabetic foot ulcers, such as:
1.A small wound on the foot.
2.Discharge from the feet.
3.Non-healing wound.
4.Pain and swelling around the ulcer.
5.Redness around the ulcer.
6.Any of these signs should alert you and require urgent medical attention.
Medifyhome is a pioneer in affordable and home-based healthcare that aims to deliver the highest-quality health services, such as Medical Equipment, medical diagnosis, home blood collection services, and teleconsultations with the best doctors in India. We pride ourselves on delivering quality healthcare at affordable prices in the comfort and safety of your home.
Get in touch with Medifyhome’s extensive network of diabetologists and surgeons for the best diabetic foot care. Book your appointment today.
With the best and most attentive care, a diabetic foot ulcer might take about 12 weeks to heal completely. It can take even longer if the case is complicated and the factors are not in favor of wound healing, such as uncontrolled diabetes, ulcers at a weight-bearing point, and infection of the wound by resistant organisms.
Among people with diabetes, the following people are at risk for a diabetic foot ulcer:
Diabetic foot ulcers have a propensity to happen at the following sites in the foot, such as:
Treatment for diabetic foot ulcers may cost anywhere from 30,000 to 1,50,000 rupees, as it is a very long-term treatment with several different aspects to be taken care of, including sugar control, dressing, antibiotics, surgery, reviews, and so on. The cost also varies in other cities. Prevention, therefore, is less expensive and less painful than the cure.
