How Does Diabetic Foot Ulcers Start?

Treading on something, wearing tight shoes, cuts, blisters and bruises can all develop into diabetes foot ulcers. Narrowed arteries can also reduce blood flow to the feet amongst some people with diabetes and this can impair the foot's ability to heal properly. When the foot cannot heal, a foot ulcer can develop. A diabetic foot ulcer is an open sore or wound resulting from uncontrolled diabetes.

Early symptoms of diabetic foot ulcers

Diabetic foot ulcers show symptoms like swelling and irritation in the affected area, drainage from the wound, formation of black tissue around the wound, pain on touching the wound, etc.

It is a fact that about 15 percent of diabetes patients develop foot ulcers at some point in their lives. Both type 1 and type 2 diabetes can be associated with diabetic foot ulcers. People having diabetes for more than 10 years are at a high risk of developing diabetic foot ulcers.

Diabetic Foot Ulcers Normal Skin & Skin Ulceration

Factors that can trigger diabetic foot ulcer

Although uncontrolled blood sugar level is the major cause of diabetic foot ulcers, some other factors also increase your risk of developing them. Being overweight, smoking, consumption of alcohol, and improper hygiene are some of the risk factors for diabetic foot ulcers.

Diabetic foot ulcers can lead to severe complications like infections, foot deformities, gangrene, etc. Diabetic foot ulcers account for about 70 percent leg amputations around the world. In fact, diabetes patients are at 25 times greater risk of losing their leg than non-diabetic people.

Now that you’ve seen how serious this condition can be, you must be wondering how a diabetic foot ulcer actually starts.

How does a diabetic foot ulcer develop?

Diabetic foot ulcers usually develop as a combined result of the damages to the sensory nerves and blood vessels, known as peripheral neuropathy and peripheral artery disease respectively.

Prolonged and uncontrolled diabetes causes permanent damage to the nerves and blood vessels in the body.

Due to damage to the sensory nerves (peripheral neuropathy), the foot becomes numb to pain, temperature, and sensations, whereas, in the case of damage to blood vessels (peripheral artery disease), the walls of the blood vessels become thicker and harder.

The starting point of a foot ulcer can be as minor as a blister, injury, or callus. Even small cuts due to poorly fitting shoes can initiate the development of a diabetic foot ulcer.

This happens because the sensory nerves do not function optimally and thus, fail to transmit proper messages, and signals between the brain and the affected foot.

In most cases, therefore, the person is not even aware of the minor injuries or cuts to the foot. This leads to a delay in treatment and by the time the person seeks medical advice, the condition becomes worse and the wound gets infected.

Diabetic Foot Ulcer

Also, you might already be knowing that healing is comparatively much slower in diabetic people. This happens because of peripheral artery disease. Due to the thickening of the walls of blood vessels, the supply of adequate blood, oxygen, and other essential nutrients hinders. The lack of oxygen makes the wound more prone to infections and ulceration of the wound becomes easier.

The real problem starts once the wound becomes infected. The ulcer becomes worse and may even spread to the bone, tendon, or joint. Over time, even abscess can form in deep ulcers. It ofcourse is really an emergency complication.

If the person does not pay attention even at this stage, it may lead to the death of tissues in the foot and ultimately, amputation will be the only option left. Well, do not be frightened because it is only the ‘worst-case scenario’ to keep you aware.

How can I prevent diabetic foot ulcers?

There is no doubt that diabetic foot ulcers are a major cause of concern. Although there are no sure shot methods to prevent diabetic foot ulcers, there are certain things you can do to reduce the chances of ulcers in the foot.

Some of the effective tips are as follows:

Keep your blood sugar levels in check
Maintain proper hygiene of your feet and wash them daily
Trim your toenails regularly but remember not to cut them too short
Keep your feet dry and moisturized
Wear properly fitted shoes and change your socks on a regular basis
Quit smoking and limit your alcohol consumption

What to do if I see signs of a foot ulcer developing?

As soon as you notice the symptoms of a diabetic foot ulcer, the first thing you need to do is to consult a specialist doctor. You must have understood how serious untreated ulcers can be, so do not delay the treatment at any cost.

If you attend diabetic foot ulcers in the initial stages, debridement and infection control may be enough to get rid of the ulcer. In debridement, the specialist doctor removes the dead and infected tissues from the wound and then cover the wound with a sterile bandage.

For preventing the wound from infection, the doctor also prescribes oral or topical ointments.

However, these diabetic ulcers have a tendency to return. In order to treat the condition permanently, your doctor will try to evaluate the root cause of diabetic foot ulcers.