15 FACTS ON CONDITIONS AND SURGERIES OF FEET RELATED TO DIABETES

Here are 15 facts about foot disorders caused by diabetes and the types of surgeries that can be used once they arise.

1. Several different types of foot problems can arise in patients with diabetes.

2. Two main conditions, peripheral arterial disease (PAD) and peripheral neuropathy, are responsible for the increased risk of foot problems in people with diabetes.

3. Symptoms and signs of diabetic foot problems occur due to reduced sensation of nerve damage, as well as lack of oxygen supply to the feet caused by vascular disease.

4. People with diabetes have an increased risk of ulcers and foot damage.

5. Diabetic foot problems also include bunions, corns, calluses, hammer toes, fungal infections, dry skin and ingrown toenails. These problems are not limited to diabetes, but may occur more frequently due to the nervous and vascular damage caused by diabetes.

6. Treatment options depend on the particular type of foot problem. Surgery, or even amputation may be necessary in some cases.

7. Gangrene (dry gangrene) is tissue death due to lack of good blood flow. It can be deadly if the bacterial infection progresses.

8. Many diabetes-related foot conditions can be prevented by good control of blood sugar levels combined with proper foot care.

9. A diabetic foot ulcer is an open sore or a wound on the foot of a patient with diabetes, usually located on the plantar surface or at the bottom of the foot.

10. Debridement is a surgical procedure used to clean dead or infected skin and tissue from a foot ulcer. It allows your foot surgeon in Raleigh to evaluate the extent of soft tissue mutilation and boost the healing process.

11. If the results of diagnostic tests indicate that poor blood flow caused by lower limb arterial disease prevents the foot ulcer from healing completely, a vascular surgeon can perform one or more procedures to increase blood flow.

12. Atherectomy is a procedure in which a surgeon cleans an obstructed artery by shaving, cutting or vaporizing plaque, a waxy substance composed of fat, cholesterol, calcium and other materials in the blood.

13. A leg bypass is a surgical procedure that allows the surgeon to create a new route for blood to travel around a blocked artery, restoring blood flow to the leg and foot.

14. A particularly useful function of surgery in diabetic foot management is to intervene at an early stage to correct deformities in order to relieve pressure areas and reduce the risk of developing an ulcer (for example, tenotomy or exostectomy).

15. Achilles tendon tenotomy can be used to correct a tight Achilles tendon that is causing a flexible equine deformity in the foot.