Podiatrists are specialty doctors that focus on diagnosing and treating ailments of the feet, ankles and lower legs. Some of these doctors specialize even further in a particular patient population or health condition. Some, for instance, focus on treating foot wounds in patients at risk of those wounds becoming chronic ulcers. People with poor circulation to the extremities, such as diabetic and obese individuals and those with circulatory disease, are at risk of having foot sores that don’t heal and that may become seriously infected. In the worst case, patients may need to have the foot amputated, so the infection doesn’t spread.
Patients may have developed the wound as a consequence of various events. Individuals with diabetes are instructed to take particular care of their feet, but someone may still accidentally step on a sharp rock while going about barefoot. The cut may stubbornly refuse to heal and become a chronic problem. Another incident involves the patient developing a pressure ulcer on the back of the heels while recovering from surgery. These sores also have a tendency to become chronic wounds, which can seriously detract from a person’s quality of life.
The statistics on diabetic persons and foot ulcers are alarming. According to research published in 2009, some 25 percent of people with diabetes develop foot ulcers at some point during their lifetimes. Nearly 70 percent of persons who need to have a foot amputated have diabetes. People who develop a foot ulcer appear to be at greater risk of developing another one later. If the statistics are scary, they also should be highly motivating to diabetic patients to focus on prevention through actions such as never going barefoot and checking their feet over carefully every day for problems.
Podiatrists use various strategies to help these patients heal and to prevent further incidents. They commonly work with the patients’ medical doctors to create a combination treatment methodology. It is crucial to do everything possible to resolve sores on the feet when a patient has circulatory issues. A person who is dealing with a stubborn foot wound may contact a clinic such as Foot and Ankle Specialists of New Jersey for help.
