Patients with diabetes frequently suffer from foot ulcers, which are open sores that do not heal. Diabetic foot ulcers are the leading cause of lower leg amputation, reports the journal "American Family Physician". People with diabetes need to take extremely good care of their feet in order to prevent the formation of foot ulcers. Daily examination and washing of the feet can help reduce the incidence of diabetic foot ulcers.
Causes
Diabetes often causes damage to the nerves that connect the feet to the brain. The damaged nerve may cause changes in sensation in the feet, which can lead people to change how they walk and place weight on their feet. These changes to pressure points on the feet can cause the skin to break, leading to a sore, explains the Merck Manuals Online Medical Library. In addition, diabetes also reduces circulation to the feet, which further increases the risk of skin lesions.
Location and Appearance
Diabetic foot ulcers are usually located on the bottom of the big toe or the ball of the foot, where most of the pressure is placed on feet. Ulcers may also develop anywhere tight or poor-fitting shoes rub against the feet.These ulcers often appear red or pinkish or sometimes dark brown or black, explains the Cleveland Clinic.
Growth of Ulcers
Because people with diabetes often have nerve damage in the legs, they may not notice when a sore develops on their feet and may not take action to treat the sore. In addition, the poor circulation to the feet caused by diabetes reduces the ability of the body to fight germs, which increases the risk of the sore becoming infected, the Federal Citizen Information Center reports. The poor circulation also slows the healing process of sores. The combined effect of these factors means that a small sore may soon grown to a large ulcer affecting a wide area of the foot.
Treatment of Foot Ulcers
If a diabetic foot ulcer is not noticed and treated early, it may grow so large that doctors are forced to amputate the foot or lower leg, the American Diabetes Association explains. If a foot ulcer is caught early, health care providers can clean out the infected or dead tissue and treat the wound with antibiotics. In some cases, vascular surgery may be necessary to repair circulation. It is important for a person with a diabetic foot ulcer to carefully monitor blood glucose levels to allow the body to fight the infection. It is also important to avoid walking on the foot until the ulcer heals. After healing, special care should be taken with the foot to avoid further sores.
References
- "American Family Physician"; Diabetic Foot Ulcers: Prevention, Diagnosis and Classification; David G Armstrong et al; March 1998
- The Merck Manuals Online Medical Library: Diabetes Mellitus
- Federal Citizen Information Center: Diabetes Complications
- American Diabetes Association: Living With Diabetes - Foot Complications
- Cleveland Clinic: Lower Extremity (Leg and Foot) Ulcers
