Your feet are uniquely susceptible to injury. Even if you wear protective shoes and practice proper hygiene, you can’t completely avoid all the scratches, blisters, and other injuries that feet sustain throughout life.
In addition to those acute injuries, certain chronic health conditions could be putting your foot health at risk. A common complication of diabetes is slow-healing foot ulcers, a type of serious wound that requires close medical care.
A wound can keep you off your feet, but professional wound care at The Foot & Ankle Specialists bolsters healing and reduces your risk of complications. If you’re dealing with foot pain or an injury, schedule an appointment with Lisa Burson, DPM and Joe Aoun, DPM.
Whether you wore an ill-fitting pair of shoes and ended up with a painful blister or you stepped on something sharp that cut your skin, acute foot injuries are extremely common. No matter how small an injury might appear, foot wounds should never be overlooked.
Small cuts, scrapes, and scratches can be painful, but some simple first aid may be all that’s needed to help your body heal on its own. If you get a minor wound, wash your hands, and carefully clean the wound with an antiseptic.
Use antibiotic ointment and clean bandages to cover the wound. If you get a blister, don’t try to pop it. Keep the area clean and bandaged until it breaks on its own.
Puncture wounds are typically narrower and deeper than scrapes and scratches. A puncture wound may not cause much bleeding at the time of injury, but these deeper wounds are more likely to get infected and cause complications, if not treated properly.
A puncture wound could occur if you step on a nail or a sharp stick. Wearing shoes protects your feet and reduces your risk of injury, but a sharp object can puncture your shoe as well as the skin on your foot.
Larger cuts with excessive bleeding or wounds with bleeding that doesn’t stop also require prompt medical care. These more severe injuries often require stitches and professional bandaging to reduce your risk of infection.
Many types of foot wounds heal over the course of a few days or weeks, but certain foot wounds can be slow-healing. An ulcer is a type of slow-healing wound that goes deep below the surface, causing pain, tissue damage, and other health complications.
Ulcers are wounds that develop on the feet or ankles. They form over time, often as the result of poor circulation, lack of sensation in the lower extremities, and other health issues. Foot ulcers are particularly common in people who have diabetes, and an estimated 15% of people with diabetes develop foot ulcers.
Ulcers don’t heal on their own, and they require specialized medical care to reduce complications.
If you have an ulcer, Dr. Lisa Burson and Dr. Joe Aoun develop a customized wound care plan for you. We prioritize natural healing, while also giving your body support with therapies such as blood flow optimization, removal of dead tissue, and stem cell grafts.
Diabetes often causes nerve damage called diabetic neuropathy. Diabetic neuropathy may bring symptoms ranging from tingling and burning to loss of sensation and numbness in your feet, and it can put you at risk for foot wounds.
If you can’t feel your feet, it’s possible to suffer an injury without knowing it. Not knowing you have a wound means you can’t treat it effectively, which increases your risk of infection.
Diabetic foot care at The Foot & Ankle Specialists can help you maintain your health. Our team offers regular foot exams and services like nail trimming for people with diabetes, and these appointments can help prevent the development of dangerous or slow-healing wounds.
Don’t let your foot wound go untreated. Schedule your first wound care appointment at The Foot & Ankle Specialists by calling the office nearest you or requesting an appointment online now.
