Diabetic wounds are never a matter to take lightly. If left unaddressed, they can have devastating effects on patients’ lives. They not only threaten the well-being of your feet, but severe infections from wounds can threaten your life as well.
However, we do not want our patients to live in fear of diabetic wounds. Our goal for every patient is to help them do the things they love with as few obstacles and risks as possible!
We specialize in providing fast and comprehensive diabetic wound care whenever it is needed. We have the tools and expertise at our practice to provide thorough cleaning, treatment, and safe dressing of a wound. We also have advanced technology such as MLS laser therapy to accelerate the healing of tissue.
But providing good wound care services is about much more than treating wounds after they have occurred. It’s also about preventing future wounds from happening – or any wounds from ever happening in the first place.
Because if there’s one word that matters most when it comes to diabetic wound care, it’s this:
TIME.
How you spend your time preparing for and addressing risks can help prevent wounds from ever becoming a debilitating concern. The best approach to care is never simply waiting for a problem to occur.
Investing Time Before Diabetic Wounds Occur
If you live with diabetes, arguably the best thing you can do to protect your feet from the dangers of diabetic wounds only takes a few minutes a day. And it’s completely free, to boot!
All you have to do is inspect your feet every day for signs of trouble.
This is an essential element of any diabetic wound prevention plan, and the best time to start is today! It does not matter if your feet currently feel fine (and we hope they do!). This is about establishing a healthy habit and being able to identify a developing problem as soon as possible.
When inspecting your feet, look and feel over every part. Check for anything that just shouldn’t be there, such as:
- Cuts
- Sores
- Ingrown Toenails
- Fungal infections
- Blisters
- Warts
- Corns/calluses
- Discoloration
You get the picture. The more consistently you inspect your feet day-to-day, the better an idea you’ll have if something unusual does arise. Nobody should know your own body better than you!
If a concern does arise, let us know about it. Even if it seems minor, we can tell you whether to simply keep an eye on things or if you should come in for a closer look or treatment. Either way, we have an ongoing record of your foot health history that we can use to identify and address potential problem areas.
Reducing Time for Wound Treatment
If and when a diabetic wound needs to be addressed, time is of the essence! The longer that even an initially small problem – like a cut or sore – goes undetected, the more opportunity it has to develop into a wider, deeper, and much more likely-to-be-infected ulcer.
Prompt treatment is essential for maintaining overall foot health. That is why we encourage daily self-inspections and do not waste time getting a diabetic patient into our office should there be a potential problem. It’s also why we have invested in technology to accelerate wound healing should it need to be used.
The longer a wound remains exposed, the higher the chances of complications. Never hesitate to reach out to us for help and professional care.
Saving Time with Preventative Diabetic Care
Wounds (and the cuts and sores they can develop from) do not always magically appear out of pure chance. There may be one or more factors that can increase your chances of trouble, including abrasive or improper footwear, structural abnormalities in the feet that force excess pressure to one part of the foot, and more.
In working with you as part of a standard diabetic foot care plan, we can identify and take steps to mitigate such problem areas. What we learn from periodic examinations, as well as what we know of your foot history via your self-inspections, can provide us a great deal of information on ways we can prevent certain problems from developing.
Recommendations we might make based on your particular situation may include:
- The use of custom orthotics to properly redistribute weight across the feet.
- The use of diabetic shoes and socks to provide better support and stability, along with reduced chances for friction and sores.
- Exercises and stretches intended to improve strength, endurance, balance, and range of motion.
- Products to moisturize the feet and prevent cracking or other skin issues.
A plan that pays attention to the needs of your feet and acts upon them accordingly will help fight the slow progression of diabetic complications and keep your feet in top shape for a much longer time.