Doing something every day means you’ll most likely get better at it. Take Olympic athletes, for example. They practice every day their whole lives to get to the big games. For others, it might be something as small as checking your feet every day for diabetic ulcers. If you do it every day, it will become a habit so that you can quickly catch a problem before it becomes serious. If you do happen to find yourself with a non-healing wound, we can help with that.
What is a Foot Ulcer
An ulcer is an area of skin that has broken down so much that you can see the tissue underneath. They are very common in people who have diabetes because of restricted blood flow to help with healing. Furthermore, most people don’t even notice them because they are unaware that they exist due to peripheral neuropathy. Neuropathy causes you to lose pain sensation in your outer limbs, which is why daily foot checks are so important. Ulcers are very prone to infection, which makes swift treatment very important.
How Do You Treat and Ulcer on the Foot?
If you do find that you have an ulcer, it’s not the end of the world. Come in to see your doctor as quickly as possible and we can help get you started on treatment immediately. We will begin by using an antibiotic ointment on your ulcer to help prevent infection and then cover it with a sterile dressing. The ulcer will need to be examined and re-dressed until it’s fully healed.
We often recommend that you wear special shoes or padding to remove excessive pressure from the ulcer. In some cases, we may need to perform surgery to drain pus or clear excess tissue. In even more rare cases, we may suggest that the arteries be expanded surgically to prevent future issues. Usually, with good treatment, the ulcer will heal without any complications.
Finding an ulcer can be scary, but we are here to help. Call Dr. Viedra Elison at (623) 584-5556 to schedule an appointment with us at Fixing Feet Institute in Surprise, AZ. We know how to treat your diabetic ulcer so that it feels like it was never there.
