Welcome to Prasannam Diabetic Foot Clinic, Pioneer Diabetic Foot clinic in India, Jaipur- Rajasthan

These risk factors increase your chances of developing foot problems and diabetic infections in your legs and feet if you are a diabetic.
Footwear: Poorly fitting shoes are a common cause of diabetic foot problems. If you have red spots, sore spots, blisters, corns, calluses, or consistent pain associated with wearing your shoes, you need to get new, properly fitting footwear as soon as possible.
If you have common foot abnormalities such as flat feet, bunions, or hammertoes, you may need prescription shoes or shoe inserts.
Nerve damage: People with long-standing or poorly controlled diabetes are at risk for having damage to the nerves in their feet. The medical term for this is peripheral neuropathy. Because of the nerve damage, you may be unable to feel your feet normally. Also you may be unable to sense the position of your feet and toes while walking and balancing. With normal nerves, you can usually sense if your shoes are rubbing on your feet or if one part of your foot is becoming strained while walking. The diabetic may not properly perceive minor injuries (such as cuts, scrapes, blisters), signs of abnormal wear and tear (that turn into calluses and corns), and foot strain. Normally, people can feel if there is a stone in their shoe and remove it immediately. A diabetic may not be able to perceive a stone. Its constant rubbing can easily create a sore.
Poor circulation: Diabetes, especially when poorly controlled, can lead to accelerated hardening of the arteries or atherosclerosis. When the blood flow to injured tissues is not good, healing is hampered.
Trauma to the foot: Any trauma to your foot makes your foot vulnerable to a serious problem. Athlete's foot can lead to more serious bacterial infections and should be treated promptly. Ingrown toenails should be handled right away by a foot specialist. Toenail fungus should also be treated. Smoking: Smoking any form of tobacco causes damage to the small blood vessels in the feet and legs. This damage can disrupt the healing process and is a major risk factor for infections and amputations. The importance of smoking cessation cannot be overemphasized.

Persistent pain can be a symptom of sprain, strain, bruise, overuse, improperly fitting shoes, or underlying infection. Redness can be a sign of infection, especially when surrounding a wound, or of abnormal rubbing of shoes or socks.
Swelling of the feet or legs can be a sign of underlying inflammation or infection, improperly fitting shoes, or poor venous circulation. Other signs of poor circulation include the following:
Pain in your legs or buttocks that increases with walking and improves with rest (claudication)
Hair loss from the lower legs and feet
Hard shiny skin on the legs
Localized warmth can be a sign of infection or inflammation,
perhaps from wounds that won't heal or are slow to heal. Any break in the skin is serious and can be from abnormal wear and tear, injury, or infection. Calluses and corns may be a sign of chronic trauma to your foot. Toenail fungus, athlete's foot, and ingrown toenails may lead to more serious bacterial infections.
Drainage of pus from a wound is a late sign of infection. Persistent bloody drainage is also a sign of a potentially serious foot problem.
A limp or difficulty walking can be sign of joint problems, serious infection, or improperly fitting shoes.
Fever or chills in association with a wound on the foot can be a sign of a limb- or life-threatening infection.
New or lasting numbness in your feet or legs can be a sign of nerve damage from diabetes and increases your risk for leg and foot problems.

Diabetes Foot Problem : Foot Management

Antibiotics:
If the doctor determines that a wound or ulcer on your feet or legs is infected, or if the wound has high risk of becoming infected, such as a cat bite, antibiotics will be prescribed to treat the infection or the potential infection. It is very important that you take the entire course of antibiotics as prescribed. Generally, you should see some improvement in the wound in 2-3 days and may see improvement the first day. For limb- or life-threatening infections, you will be admitted to the hospital and given IV antibiotics. Less serious infections may be treated with pills as an outpatient. The doctor may give you a single dose of antibiotics as a shot or IV dose prior to starting pills in the clinic or Emergency Department.

Surgical management:
We have our own setup for the management of diabetic lower extremity wounds and ulcers along with other difficult-to-treat wounds. In our multidisciplinary center, professionals of many specialties including doctors, nurses, and therapists work with you in developing a treatment plan for your wound or leg ulcer. Treatment plans may include surgical debridement of your wound, improvement of circulation through surgery or therapy, special dressings, and antibiotics. The plan may include a combination of treatments.
Referral to podiatrist or orthopedic surgeon: If you have bone-related problems, toenail problems, corns and calluses, hammertoes, bunions, flat feet, heel spurs, arthritis, or have difficulty with finding shoes that fit, your physician may refer you to one of these specialists. They create shoe inserts, prescribe shoes, remove calluses and have expertise in surgical solutions for bone problems. They can also be an excellent resource for how to care for your feet routinely. Home health care: Your doctor may prescribe a home health nurse or aide to help with wound care and dressings, monitor your blood sugar, and help you take your antibiotics and other medications properly during the healing period.

Diabetes Foot Problem : Care

Write down your symptoms and be prepared to talk about them with your doctor. Following is a list of common reasons to call on your doctor if you have a diabetic foot or leg problem.
Any trauma to your feet or legs, no matter how minor, needs medical attention. Even minor injuries can result in serious infections.
Persistent mild-to-moderate pain in your feet or legs is a signal that something is wrong. Constant pain is never normal.
Any new blister, wound, or ulcer can become a more serious problem. You will need to develop a plan with your doctor on how to treat these wounds.
Any new areas of warmth, redness, or swelling on your feet or legs are frequently early signs of infection or inflammation. Addressing them early may prevent more serious problems.
Pain, redness, or swelling around a toenail could mean you have an ingrown toenail—a leading cause of diabetic foot infections and amputations. Prompt and early treatment is essential.
New or constant numbness in your feet or legs can be a sign of diabetic nerve damage (neuropathy) or of impaired circulation in your legs. Both conditions put you at risk for serious problems such as infections and amputations.
Difficulty walking can result from diabetic arthritis (Charcot's joints), often a sign of abnormal strain or pressure on the foot or of poorly fitting shoes.
Early intervention is key to preventing more serious problems including falls as well as lower extremity skin breakdown and infections.
Constant itching in the feet can be a sign of fungal infection or dry skin, both of which can lead to infection. Calluses or corns developing on the feet should be professionally removed. Home removal is not recommended.
Fever, defined as a temperature greater than 98.6°F, in association with any other symptoms or alone should prompt an immediate call to your doctor. The degree of fever does not always correlate with the seriousness of infection. You could have no fever or a very low fever and still have a serious infection. People with diabetes need to be especially cautious of fever.
If time and your condition permit, write down your symptoms, a list of your medications, allergies to medicines, and your doctor's name and phone number prior to coming to the hospital's emergency department. This information will greatly assist the emergency physician in the evaluation and treatment of your problem.
Following are some common reasons to seek immediate medical attention for diabetic foot and leg problems. Severe pain in your feet or legs is often a sign of acute loss of circulation to the leg, serious infection, or may be due to severe nerve damage (neuropathy). Any cut to your feet or legs that bleeds significantly and goes all the way through the skin needs proper cleaning and repair to aid healing. Any significant puncture wounds to your feet (for example, stepping on a nail or being bitten by a dog or cat) carry a high risk of becoming infected. Wounds or ulcers that are more than about 1 inch across on your feet or legs are frequently associated with limb-threatening infections. Redness or red streaks spreading away from a wound or ulcer on your feet or legs are a sign of infection spreading through the tissues. Fever higher than 101.5°F in association with redness, swelling, warmth, or any wound or ulcer on your legs may be a sign of a limb or life-threatening infection. If you have diabetes and you simply have a fever more than 101.5° F, and no other symptoms, seek immediate emergency care to determine a source and treatment plan. Because the degree of fever does not always correlate with the seriousness of the illness, people with diabetes should take even low-grade fevers (less than 101.5°F) very seriously and seek medical attention.
Alteration in mental status (confusion) may be a sign of life-threatening infection that could lead to loss of a leg or foot, when associated with a leg wound or foot ulcer. It may also be a sign of either very high or very low blood sugars, which are more common when there is infection present.