Our bodies have miraculous healing capabilities, and it’s important to remember how interconnected seemingly distant systems are.
For example, we now know that your oral health is closely associated with cardiovascular health.
When it comes to your feet, it’s important never to let a foot wound go untreated if you live with a condition like diabetes that limits your blood circulation. This is because a foot wound’s ability to make you very ill or even become life-threatening can happen fast.
The podiatry experts at South Florida Foot & Ankle Centers are ready to diagnose and provide advanced treatment for foot wounds so you don’t heighten your risk for serious problems.
Not only is the team highly invested in offering you excellent, sensitively delivered care, they’re committed to educating you about your foot health and talking about what you can do to support it.
One of the widely suffered symptoms of people living with diabetes is peripheral neuropathy, which most often affects your feet. Neuropathy causes nerve damage and reduced blood circulation, so you lose sensitivity in your feet.
If you injure your foot — even in the smallest way, like a small scratch or nick — you might not realize it.
Combine neuropathy with two other frequent symptoms in people living with diabetes — clogged arteries and a compromised immune system — and you’ve got a recipe for an increased risk of a serious foot wound.
The problem is that a severe chain reaction can occur rapidly. If a small injury gets infected, you might not realize that, either, and then it can quickly progress into a foot ulcer, a more severe wound that’s resistant to healing and causes major damage to your tissues and bone.
Unfortunately, amputation may be necessary when this happens, so doing all you can to avoid developing a foot ulcer is paramount.
South Florida Foot & Ankle Centers is dedicated to providing advanced wound care therapy to patients who are at high risk for developing foot ulcers.
What does this mean? We educate you about proper foot care at home and monitor your foot health by providing comprehensive diabetic foot exams, because prevention is the name of the game when it comes to ensuring your safety from worrisome foot wounds.
Caring for your feet on the home front is pivotal, so your podiatrist will want you to:
When you examine your feet, be aware that in addition to cuts, you should also bring blisters, calluses, corns, or redness to your podiatrist’s attention.
Prompt care is vital if you develop a foot ulcer, and this involves careful cleaning and dressing of the wound by your podiatrist. They will also prescribe antibiotics to prevent infection.
Your podiatrist has an array of advanced ulcer treatments that can hasten healing, including:
Though we have these sophisticated treatments at our disposal, we make every effort to help you prevent a foot wound so it never develops into a concern in the first place.
We’re dedicated to partnering with you as you manage your diabetes and foot health.
To schedule an appointment with us at our Belle Glade, Royal Palm Beach, Lake Worth, or Palm Beach Gardens office, please call or use online booking.
