Cure Foot Pain in North Austin
Foot pain comes from many sources. Learn about your foot condition and allow North Austin's Arbor Foot Health Center to provide a cure or treatment returning you to health and activity.
Care for Diabetic Feet
Proper foot sore care prevents complications, amputation
Foot infections are one of the most common complications of diabetes. A diabetic patient’s feet are susceptible to infection that, without careful care, can easily and quickly become serious.
One of the side effects of diabetes is decreased circulation in the feet. First, poor circulation decreases the sensation in the foot, making it tough in some cases for a patient to realize the foot is injured. Patients may not feel rocks in their shoes, for example, or notice a blister on their toe, or a small cut in their sole after walking barefoot.
Then the second complication of decreased blood flow – a compromised immune system-- comes into play. When the body is injured or the skin is broken, bacteria can enter the area internally. In a healthy person, the body easily fights off these intruders. In a diabetic patient, the immune system is weak and often cannot fight the infection quickly, allowing it to spread. It can also take a long time for an injury to heal. This puts the patient at risk of amputation.
For all these reasons, the American Diabetes Association recommends diabetic patients have their feet checked at least once a year by a podiatrist. Here are Arbor Foot Health Center, we can remove corns and calluses safely and decrease a patient’s risk of infection. We can treat ingrown nails if they occur, often with the use of a laser. Many other conditions that can eventually lead to infection can be prevented.
We teach patients how to protect their feet and check them, decreasing their risk of infection. We also sell shoes designed to prevent injuries and infections in diabetic individuals.
If your foot does become infected, we can treat and monitor the infection. Regularly cleaning the wound and prescribing needed medications. In some cases, we must refer patients to seek more extensive treatment. Most important, don’t ignore an infection in a diabetic foot. Quick action is critical.