We’re Specialists in Diabetic Foot Care
Today, over 30 million Americans are living with diabetes. This is a serious medical condition that occurs when your body cannot make or effectively use its own insulin. The body needs insulin to transform the sugar from the food you eat into energy and fuel.
If you’re one of the millions of Americans that suffer from this condition, you’re probably aware that diabetes makes you more susceptible to serious complications of your extremities, including major nerve damage in your feet. At Harford Lower Extremity Specialists, our doctors are experts in foot care for diabetics. We’re committed to providing exceptional care to our patients in Bel Air and surrounding Harford County. Our podiatric physicians ensure that each diabetic patient we serve receives exceptional foot care, and we are always examining their feet for signs of nerve damage.
After all, patients with diabetes are facing special challenges to their feet. While blisters, small cuts, sores, or ingrown toenails might be annoying or uncomfortable to other types of patients, these conditions pose major health threats to those with diabetes. To make things more challenging, the nerve damage associated with this disease often results in a loss of sensation. This numbness makes it challenging for diabetic patients to detect their own injuries and irritations.
Why Does Diabetes Lead to Foot Pain?
People living with diabetes are at higher risk of suffering from nerve damage (neuropathy) in the feet. Neuropathy makes it more difficult for diabetics to feel pain, heat, or cold in their feet. That means that a person with this disease can lose feeling in their feet and be unaware of an injury, sores, or blisters. Even small cuts can cause infections. Without the ability to feel discomfort or pain in the foot, the patient may not notice anything unusual until the condition is severe or even life-threatening. Additionally, reduced circulation makes it harder for the diabetic’s body to self-heal infections and injuries. That’s why it’s so important for patients with this disease to promptly seek medical help to treat blisters, swelling, redness, abrasions, skin issues, or toenail problems.
What are the Symptoms of Diabetic Foot Problems?
The Bel Air podiatric physicians at Harford Lower Extremity Specialists regularly work with patients that have diabetes, conducting examinations of the feet, and tracking any changes that occur. Our Harford County foot doctors recommend that our diabetic patients visit us every six months, and more often if you have any of the following issues occur around your feet or ankles;
- Changes in skin color
- Dry, cracked, or scaly skin
- Swelling
- Persistent sores
- Foot ulcers
- Signs of infection
- Numbness
- Tingling or burning pain
- Ingrown toenails
- Fungal toenails
- Athlete’s foot
For diabetics, untreated foot conditions can progress into more serious situations like gangrene. If left untreated, diabetic neuropathy can lead to the need to amputate the toes or foot.
The Harford foot doctors at Harford Lower Extremity Specialists are experienced with the foot, ankle, and toe issues related to diabetes. If you have diabetes, let our experts handle your foot health. They’ll provide the medical guidance needed to keep the skin, bones, and nails on your feet healthy.