Wound Care and Treatment Jupiter, FL
Wound Care Q&A
How does diabetes contribute to foot wounds?
Diabetes affects your whole body, but your feet often get the very worst of the damage. Nerve and blood vessel damage, called peripheral neuropathy and peripheral artery disease (PAD) respectively, are the two most common reasons for diabetic foot problems.
They both contribute to foot wounds, even though they’re not the initial cause of foot injury. Peripheral neuropathy causes foot numbness, which means wounds can worsen before you feel them. PAD reduces blood circulation, which keeps wounds from healing.
How do foot wounds start?
A foot wound begins as any kind of skin damage. This could include a cut, scrape, bruise, broken blister, cracked skin, worn callus, or even an ingrown toenail.
Diabetic neuropathy reduces normal pain sensations, which means you may not realize there’s a wound at first. At the same time, PAD works against you by restricting blood flow to the wound. That means healing is very slow.
Even if the skin isn’t broken to start with, lack of care and poor healing can weaken your skin and cause it to break open, forming an open wound, also called an ulcer. This makes healing even more challenging and greatly increases the risk of infection.
More than 80% of leg and foot amputations start with an ulcerated foot wound. Virtually all of these amputations are preventable by implementing proper wound care techniques as soon as possible.
How does a podiatrist perform wound care?
- Antibiotics for infection
- Wound cleaning
- Topical medication
- Wound bandaging
- Debridement, or surgical excision of dead skin
- Regenerative medicine like PRP or stem cell therapy to regenerate tissue
While treating your wound, Dr. Cedeno may recommend offloading to protect the healing skin. Offloading typically involves relieving pressure on your wound through custom orthotics or special shoes.
How do I manage wound care at home?
Dr. Cedeno performs most of your wound care, but you’ll also be responsible for at-home wound care. You may need to clean and bandage the wound between appointments at Abacoa Podiatry and Leg Vein Center. If so, Dr. Cedeno explains the right way to take care of your wound to ensure proper healing.
Wound care at Abacoa Podiatry and Leg Vein Center helps you heal fast, which is the number one way to avoid limb loss. Call the office or click online booking for expert wound care today.
Board Certified Foot and Ankle Surgeons & Podiatry located in Jupiter, FL
As many as 85% of diabetic foot amputations are preventable — and proper wound care is often the single most important factor in that prevention. At Abacoa Podiatry and Leg Vein Center in Jupiter, Florida, podiatry specialist Orlando Cedeno, DPM, takes diabetic foot care seriously because he knows that expert wound care now can save your feet tomorrow. Abacoa Podiatry and Leg Vein Center offers all the most advanced wound care techniques, so don’t wait to start your recovery. Call the office or use online booking now.
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Discover a personalized approach to podiatric and vascular care in Jupiter, FL.Contact us today to schedule an appointment with Dr. Orlando Cedeno and experience top-notch care for your foot and ankle needs.