Diabetic Ulcers

Diabetic ulcers are often the result of diabetic neuropathy, a condition that results in the inability to feel pain or pressure. Not being able to feel this pain means that something as little as a pebble or a stick can get inside of your shoe and you won’t be able to feel it. The constant rubbing of your foot against the item in your shoe can result in a wound that can affect as little as the top layer of skin and extend as far as down to the bone. The farther that your injury extends, the greater the likelihood that the wound can be infected and potentially lead to an amputation.

One of the many reasons it is important for a diabetic patient to be working with a podiatrist is to allow for annual check-ups of your feet. Many times, a person may not examine all of the parts of their feet thoroughly. This can result in a wound that someone may not even notice.

Once an ulcer is found on a diabetic patient, it is very important to treat it aggressively. A lot of diabetics do not have as good of blood circulations as people who do not have diabetes. As a result, it is much harder for people to heal an injury. This means that they will require a greater amount of observation and treatment.

Diabetic ulcers require a good deal of removing the dead tissue to allow for new tissue to grow and cover the wound. The ulcer site needs to be cleaned out with a large amount of fluid to help remove any bacteria or germs that are inside the ulcer. Depending on how deep the injury site is, it may be necessary to take a biopsy from the site to determine if there is an infection that needs to be treated more aggressively with prescription medications that are specific to the type of bug in your wound. The wound then needs to be properly wrapped and protected from the environment.

If you or someone that you know has diabetes and would like to see a podiatrist, our office staff would be more than happy to help you set up an appointment with Dr. Wachtel. If you live in the Methuen, Bradford, Lowell or Tewksbury, Massachusetts area, please give us a call and we would love to help you get back up on your feet.