Key Things To Know About Diabetic Foot Ulcers

ByJohnson Sammons

You will surprised to know that by 2030, it is estimated that around 550 million people in the world will be diabetic. And since a good number of diabetic patients develop foot ulcer at some point, it is very important for healthcare professionals to be aware of ways to prevent and treat this serious symptom of diabetes in patients. For instance, using products such as offloading shoes for diabetics is a must as these shoes are designed to provide relief from foot pain and provide durable support.

There are different types of diabetic foot ulcers and knowing each type is important because depending on the type, an effective treatment plan is used. Let’s take a look at foot ulcers types.

  • The first is neuropathic ulcers which develop due to nerve damage caused by diabetic neuropathy. In this, a diabetic patient loses the ability to feel pain from an injury. Due to this inability, many diabetic patients realize quite late that they have foot ulcer. These ulcers arise from foot and toe deformities, calluses, corns, etc.
  • The second is ischemic ulcers, which are also known as arterial ulcers. Diabetic patients can develop this type of ulcers when blood flow gets limited to the extremity. When the extremity experiences an injury, ulcers gradually begin to develop, and the worst thing about these ulcers is that they are quite difficult to heal.
  • Some of the most difficult to cure foot ulcers are neuroischemic ulcers. Diabetic patients with poor artery blood flow and neuropathy mostly suffer from these ulcers.

So, how can these ulcers be treated? The first thing that needs to be done is taking out the necrotic wound tissue from the wound. However, it is very important that healthcare professionals perform the method of debridement with extreme care so that nerves, tendons, and blood vessels do not get damaged. The biggest problem before healthcare professionals here is that many diabetic patients lose the ability to experience pain from the wound site. Due to this, they cannot really rely on patients’ feedback while examining sensitives areas. The method of debridement is known for bringing down pressure on the ulcer, commencing wound healing, draining the wound, and improving efficacy of wound dressing.

If diabetic patients want to stay away from these ulcers, then they should invest in preventive products such as orthotic insoles and heel offloading shoes. These products are made in such a way that they properly offload the plantar surface of the foot. When this area is durably offloaded, development of diabetic foot ulcers gets reduced. There are some top companies online that specialize in making foot care products. You can get in touch with one such company and explore their various products that will help you with plantar fasciitis and diabetic foot ulcers.