Diabetes and Foot Complications

Wednesday, August 17, 2022
 
 

One of the most severe consequences of poor diabetes management is the potential for lower extremity amputation. If you’re a diabetic, the risks of this and other foot-related complications can be avoided if you include a highly-trained podiatrist in your care team.

The statistics reflect this: According to the American Podiatric Medical Association, seeking counsel and treatment from a podiatrist can reduce the risk of lower limb amputation by 85%, and the risk of hospitalization by 24%.

When left untreated, diabetes can inflict significant damage to your feet, including nerve damage, restricted blood flow, gangrene, sores, deformities, and ulcers. If a patient waits too long to seek help for these issues, it could be difficult to salvage the impacted limb.

Oftentimes, the warning signs of foot-related diabetic complications go unnoticed. There are areas of the foot that are difficult for us to see on our own, and if a patient suffers from numbness of the feet, they might not be aware of a festering sore, infection or other malady.

This is another reason why it’s crucial to include a podiatrist in your team of medical professionals.

After a proper evaluation, a podiatrist can help you mitigate your risks for nerve damage and other complications.

Watson Clinic’s Podiatric Surgery department specializes in the prevention, management and treatment of diabetes-related foot disorders. To schedule an appointment with any of the following board-certified Podiatric Surgeons, call 863-680-7214:

James J. Butler, Jr., DPM
Watson Clinic Main

Zully A. Calvo, DPM
Watson Clinic South

Dominic E. DiPierro, DPM
 
 
 
 
8/17/2022

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