Diabetic Care Specialist

How does diabetes affect foot health?

Diabetes causes nerve damage that can lead to a loss of sensation in your feet.

When you can’t feel your foot, you're susceptible to disease and injury you may not notice. Leaving infections and injuries untreated can result in severe damage to the joints, bones, and blood vessels in your feet and ankles.

Over time, bone deterioration can result in the deformity of your feet and ankles, one of the most severe foot problems affecting people with diabetes. This condition, known as Charcot arthropathy, can severely impact your mobility and quality of life.

What are the symptoms of Charcot arthropathy?

This foot condition often doesn’t cause pain. The earliest sign of the condition includes swelling without any underlying injury. Other symptoms may include redness and bone changes that are visible by X-ray.

Swelling, redness, and bone changes can also indicate a bone infection. However, if your skin is intact and there are no ulcers present, a bone infection is unlikely.

How is Charcot arthropathy diagnosed?

Dr. Sibel reviews your medical history and your symptoms before performing a visual exam of your foot. He may also recommend X-rays to get a better look at your internal bone structures.

Additional testing, such as an MRI or bone scan, can identify underlying medical issues, infection, breaks, or fractures in your foot or ankle.

What treatments are available for Charcot arthropathy?

Initially, Dr. Sibel may suggest using a cast to protect your foot or ankle and reduce swelling. You may have to use a walker or crutches to move around while you keep weight off your foot for a designated period (typically three months or longer).

You may also benefit from custom diabetic shoes or a walking boot to decrease your risk of developing sores that won’t heal. These custom shoes are ideal if you have diabetes, as store-bought shoes often won’t fit properly over a deformation in the foot.

Surgical options are also available to reconstruct your foot or ankle bones and correct any deformities. Dr. Sibel is an experienced surgeon and will create a custom treatment plan using advanced surgical procedures to repair your bone and increase your foot and ankle stability.

Surgery can also repair any fractures or bone breaks you experience as the result of complications from diabetes.

To learn more about diabetic care and management services, schedule an appointment online or by phone.