Diabetes is a complex disease affecting many different body organs and systems. At Ohio Foot and Ankle Center, we focus on providing foot health services to individuals living with diabetes. Working with Aaron Chokan, DPM, or Kristina Minniti, DPM, is an excellent way for Canton, Stow, and Rittman, Ohio, residents to preserve foot health as they progress through diabetes treatment.
Your pancreas creates a special hormone called insulin, which plays a vital role in the conversion of food into energy. Insulin basically “unlocks” cells throughout your body, allowing glucose to enter and fuel those cells.
Diabetes develops when the body either cannot produce insulin or cannot properly use the insulin that is produced. This leaves cells without the nourishment they need to thrive and allows glucose to build up within the bloodstream.
Diabetes affects many areas of your health, but two of the main problems that diabetics face are circulatory issues and nerve damage. In terms of foot health, this means you might not notice a small cut, scrape, or blister on your foot, and poor circulation could allow that minor injury to worsen until it becomes an ulcer, which is an open sore.
For people who don’t have diabetes, minor tissue damage on their feet is usually nothing to be concerned about. After all, who hasn’t developed a blister from a new pair of shoes or stepped on something sharp that created a small cut on the sole of a foot?
If you have diabetes, however, even seemingly minor tissue damage can quickly turn into something much worse. Without your circulatory system delivering the building blocks needed to repair damaged tissue, a small sore can rapidly become larger and deeper.
Nerve damage could mean you don’t even notice the damage until it becomes a serious ulcer. It’s often too late to treat the damage at home by then. Professional medical care is needed to clear away damaged tissue and give your body a chance to heal.
The Ohio Foot and Ankle Center team never strives to focus on the negatives or sensationalize the less desirable outcomes of health problems. But when it comes to diabetic foot wounds, it’s difficult to overstate the dangers.
Left untreated, a foot ulcer can extend into the deeper layers of your tissue. Infection can set in very quickly and enter your bloodstream. After a certain point, even intravenous antibiotics may not be enough to fight the infection.
Diabetics have an elevated risk of amputation, and foot amputations are not an uncommon outcome. An infected foot wound can also lead to a systemic infection, which can be deadly. Again, the goal here is not to use prompt fear, but to share the full realities of why foot health is vital to managing diabetes.
The best way to prevent negative outcomes is to make a habit of inspecting your feet every day. After a bath or shower, it's a great time to examine the skin on the soles and sides of your feet, as well as between your toes.
If you notice any changes, like a blister, hangnail, or small scrape, ensure the area is completely clean and consider applying an antibacterial ointment and bandaging the area. Check back often, and if the wound does not seem to improve within a day or two, come in for a professional wound evaluation.
The team at Ohio Foot and Ankle Center is always here to help. You can simply call the office to schedule a visit, or see if you can find an appointment using the online scheduling tool. Let the administrative team know that you’re concerned about a diabetic foot ulcer so you can get in right away.
