Diabetic Foot

What is diabetes?

Diabetes is a metabolic disease that causes chronically high blood sugars, which damages your veins, arteries, and other tissues. In a healthy body, glucose converts to fuel that every system of the body uses for energy. When you have diabetes, glucose doesn’t convert to fuel but builds up in the bloodstream, causing high blood sugar levels.

Over time, diabetes affects small arteries of the eyes, feet, fingers, kidneys, and toes. As vessels become hard, inflexible, and ineffective for maintaining healthy circulation, complications arise, such as retinopathy (blindness), kidney disease, and venous foot ulcers.  

What causes diabetic foot conditions? 

When diabetes affects your vascular health, it impacts the integrity and health of your feet by: 

• Decreasing blood flow to the feet
• Reducing oil and sweat production
• Damaging nerves and diminishing awareness of an injury
• Suppressing the immune system
• Slowing healing 

Impaired vascular health also increases your risk for acute and chronic foot-related problems like ingrown toenails, nail fungus, corns, infection, gangrene, and limb and toe loss.

How can I reduce my risk of diabetic foot conditions? 

To reduce your risk for foot-related diabetic vascular disease, you can make some important healthy habits that include: 

• Maintain a healthy weight
• Quit smoking
• Eat a low-fat diet
• Maintain an active lifestyle
• Controlling blood sugar levels

Regular screening for foot wounds and vascular insufficiency can reduce your risk for foot and other tissue injuries related to your diabetes. 

What are the treatment options for diabetic foot problems?

The team at the Vascular Institute of New York offers a wide range of services to help prevent, support, and treat diabetic foot problems. As part of their advanced vascular diagnostic lab, they provide a venous insufficiency evaluation, ultrasound, angiography, and other diagnostic tools to help identify your risk for and the root cause of your diabetic foot condition.

Your customized care plan may include a combination of treatments, including:

• Medications, including antibiotics and anti-clotting drugs
• Custom orthotics, inserts, or splints
• Compression garments
• Prosthetics and orthotics
• Surgical debridement or toe removal

Vascular Institute of New York has a fully equipped Wound Care Center when your diabetic foot conditions require advanced techniques, ongoing wound care, open surgery, and minimally invasive treatments.

For expert diabetic foot care, call or schedule an appointment with the Vascular Institute of New York today.