Are Your Pipes Clogged?

There are many factors that go into healing a wound. You have to make sure that there is good nutrition, that the wound has the right kind of bed to form new skin on and most importantly that there is good blood flow. As a diabetic patient, there are many things that you need to be concerned about. These include your sugar, your kidneys and your feet. Blood flow can decrease both with age and the contribution from diabetes making it tougher for blood to get to your toes. Think of it like a water pipe. If that pipe is all cleaned out, water can go through easily, but the more sludge and grime, the harder it is for the water to get through.

So, you might be wondering what a podiatrist can do for your arteries. A podiatrist serves as a preventative caregiver for your feet. By having you come in once a year for a check-up, we are able to assess your blood flow, how well your nerves are working, and make sure you don't have any problem areas like calluses or thin skin that needs to be seen more often. When your arteries are checked in the office, if they cannot be felt or heard with special equipment, then your podiatrist will know that you need to be sent for further studies.

These studies start out really basic with a test that just uses blood pressure cuffs to assess the flow in your arms compared to your legs. It gives us an idea how much blood is really getting to your toes. If these come back showing any kind of decreased flow than there are further studies and treatments that can be done to get your arteries working better.

So, if you or someone you know has diabetes, you should seek help from your podiatrist. If you live in the Lowell or Reading, Massachusetts area, Dr. Wachtel would be more than happy to see you and help treat your feet. We are also happy to announce our Methuen and North Andover offices located at 451 Andover St. Suite 300, North Andover MA 01845 and 87 Jackson St, Methuen, MA 01835.