Diabetes affects your life in several ways, but one of the most challenging is the slow-healing sores it causes on your feet. At Parkway Podiatry in Brooklyn, New York, you’ll find dedicated diabetic foot care, including treatment if you have a diabetic foot infection. Gary Saphire, DPM, and his expert staff help their patients in the Bensonhurst and Gravesend neighborhoods with diabetes keep their feet healthy and whole. Call them, or book your appointment online today.
Diabetes impacts your feet in a few notable ways.
Diabetes affects the way your blood flows throughout your body. In your extremities, it can limit blood flow, causing peripheral vascular disease. This restricted blood flow means that any injuries you get in your peripheral body, including your feet, take longer to heal. It also heightens your risk for gangrene and ulcers.
Diabetes can damage your nerves. When the nerves in your feet get damaged, your ability to feel pain in that area becomes limited. As a result, you can get injuries (including blisters) that you don’t feel. Because you aren’t aware of them, you may inadvertently make them worse by continuing to walk on them. Additionally, if you have peripheral vascular disease, it means that these injuries will take longer to heal.
These deep foot sores occur in about one in 10 people with diabetes. They can result from even a small cut or blister and, if not treated properly, can get infected. Dr. Saphire offers thorough care for diabetic wounds to help them heal and to protect your feet.
In short, diabetes heightens your risk for foot injuries and infections, while simultaneously lessening your awareness of them. That’s why regular, thorough foot care is important if you’ve been diagnosed with diabetes.
When you have an open wound on your foot, it exposes you to risk for infection. And if the wound goes deep enough, that infection can even spread to your bone or cause gangrene (tissue death). When left untreated, diabetic foot infections can spread to the point that amputation is necessary.
Dr. Saphire and his team are available to help you protect the health of your feet long-term. With dedicated, expert-level care, they treat your diabetic foot infection so that it can heal as quickly as possible.
Dr. Saphire tailors your foot care to you. If you regularly get blisters, for example, he can recommend specific shoes or create custom orthotics to help protect your feet. When you do get any diabetic wounds, he treats them promptly to prevent foot infections. In short, he’s your partner in keeping your feet healthy long-term.
To learn more about the diabetic foot care available at Parkway Podiatry, including the treatment of any diabetic foot infection, call them, or schedule your appointment online.
