Things To Know About Diabetic Foot Ulcers

A diabetic with a well-advanced condition often suffers from foot and leg ulcers. One of the complications arising from diabetes is neuropathy or a loss of sensation and circulation to the extremities of the body. When the foot or hand is cut or is wounded and are left untreated, there is a resulting infection that is often a precursor to other problems. These untreated ulcers can lead to blood poisoning because of necrosis and sepsis, leaving amputation as the only available treatment to control the spread of the infection.

Treatment of foot ulcers exacerbated by diabetes requires special care and attention. The following are the things to know about diabetic foot ulcers.


Keep Feet Clean. Always wash your feet with warm water and mild soap. Feet come in contact with many kinds of dangerous bacteria and germs everyday. Keeping these body parts clean especially at the end of the day can help prevent foot ulcers made worse by diabetes.


Consult Physicians Regularly. With diabetes, close coordination with doctors regarding not only your blood sugar levels but also other possible complications that may arise. Checking on ulcers, be it neurotrophic, arterial and venous in the extremities need to be done every so often to prevent any foot ulcers from developing. When one is found, depending on the kind of ulcer, there may be different kinds of treatments that would be needed to manage the complication.


Preventive Treatment. When an ulcer is found, the doctor may prescribe anti-platelet or anti-clotting medication to prevent any ulcers due to blood clots from arising. To prevent ulcer development, it is best to apply compression garments to apply consistent pressure to promote good circulation. Good circulation helps blood flow to bring nutrient rich blood and remove wastes from the area to assist the body heal itself.


Dressing and Care. Do follow instructions provided by your physician regarding the dressing and care for a foot ulcer. The methodology may employ antiseptics, wet-to-wet, synthetic skin bandages of either hydrogel, hydrocolloid or alginate wraps. Dressing the wound is important to keep infection from further complicating the healing process of the diabetic.


Preventive Care. Often, foot ulcers result from ill-fitting shoes as well as other agents. Special shoes and proper hygiene together with application of antibiotic creams, aloe vera or topical treatment to the area of infection can help remove possible infectious agents. When there are white, yellow, green or black areas in the foot area need to be reported to a physician at the soonest possible time.


Following these simple advisories can help prevent the development of dreaded foot ulcers. An ounce of prevention truly weighs more than a pound of cure.

By Bobby Castro