Visit a Podiatrist if You Are Diabetic

If you have diabetes and notice a foot problem developing, call our office to meet with a podiatrist. As a diabetic, you must be incredibly diligent when it comes to the health of your feet. Unfortunately, diabetes is a condition that can lead to foot loss and so even something small like a blister should not be ignored. This is in large part due to a decrease in circulation in the foot.

When you have a diabetic episode, the white blood cells in your body are inhibited and unable to do their job. This means that a small infection cannot be fought off or recovered from. In some cases, a diabetic will not feel the pain in his or her foot, causing a health problem to worsen undetected over time.

CONDITIONS DIABETICS NEED TO WATCH FOR

Call our podiatrist office if you notice any:

Foot blisters
Calluses
Skin disorders
Ingrown toenails
Bone problems such as a bone spur

Essentially, due to the risk of nerve damage and a lack of circulation, any foot problem in a diabetic is worth scheduling an examination over.

VISIT A PODIATRIST

When you schedule an appointment with our office, we will conduct a series of tests to determine if you have any nerve damage or problems with your feet that are not clear to the naked eye. We conduct these tests in addition to conducting a physical examination to identify any visible problems like blisters or skin disorders. You may have to go in for diagnostic work, such as taking X-rays. Any tests that we recommend will be for the purpose of conducting a thorough diagnosis to ensure that we treat all issues with your feet.

One common condition that diabetics suffer from is a diabetic foot ulcer. Around 15 percent of all diabetic patients experience a diabetic foot ulcer at some point in their life. A diabetic foot ulcer is a wound or sore at the bottom of the foot. If it goes untreated, the ulcer can lead to hospitalization; something that is common in 6 percent of patients.

The risk of amputation from not having a foot problem treated is high. Statistically, anywhere from 14 to 24 percent of patients who develop a foot ulcer will end up needing an amputation. To put this in perspective, 85 percent of diabetic patients who have a foot amputated, had a foot ulcer prior to the amputation. These patients most likely had some warning symptoms that they ignored or failed to treat properly and by doing so, put themselves at risk for a future loss of limb.

You do not want to be one of these statistics and there is no reason for you to be. We can treat your diabetic foot ulcer or any foot problem that you have immediately, in order to prevent the escalation of the condition and the potential need for a future amputation.

CALL OUR OFFICE

We urge you to pay attention to the health of your feet and to call our podiatrist office at the first sign of trouble. If we can identify and treat health conditions early, it will improve your daily comfort and quality of life while being your best defense against the risk of a future amputation.