What Causes Foot Amputation For People With Diabetes

Diabetes is a sly disease. There are some cases that the person who has diabetes won’t feel like they have diabetes and everything is under control, and they won’t take it seriously, but little do they know that the disease is spreading in their body and their organs are starting to dysfunction and get weak. If you have diabetes and you don’t control your blood sugar, take steps immediately, go to your doctors or health professionals to know what to do, and get the proper treatment to get your condition under control. Even if you don’t have symptoms, it’s best to get checked and visit your doctor.

Did you know that diabetes can lead to peripheral artery disease (PAD)? PAD causes your arteries or blood vessels to narrow and reduce the blood flow to your legs and feet. It may also cause nerve damage, also called peripheral neuropathy. This can cause you to feel numb and don’t feel the changes that are happening in your legs and feet. You may continue to put pressure on the affected areas, which can cause more damage and become infected. Decreasing blood flow can slow down the healing of your wounds. It can also make your body weak and dysfunctional. As a result, your wound may not heal. Tissue damage or death may occur, and any existing infection may spread to your bone.

Here are some symptoms of foot problems that are important to recognize in the early stages:

• Burning, tingling, or swelling of feet
• Loss of sensation to heat, cold, and touch
• Changes in the color or shape of your feet
• Thickening and yellowing of the toenails
• Seeing red spots, blisters, sores, ulcers, infected corns, or ingrown toenails

If the infection cannot be stopped or your feet cannot recover from the damage, amputation may be necessary. According to Healthline.com, the most common amputations in people with diabetes are the lower legs, feet, and toes. If you’re not checking your feet, start now, it only takes a few minutes every day.

If you are experiencing any of these foot conditions, contact your doctor or health professionals for an evaluation:

• fungal infections, such as athlete’s foot
• splinters
• ingrown toenails
• corns
• bunions
• calluses
• plantar warts
• chilblains
• hammertoes
• dry skin
• gout
• heel pain or heel spurs

Common foot problems that are inconvenient to most people become major problems if you have diabetes. If you don’t know that infections are there, this may quickly become infected or cause ulcers. High blood sugar levels over time can cause nerve damage and circulation problems. If this is not prevented properly or untreated, sores, ingrown toenails, and other problems can lead to infection. Poor circulation of blood makes healing an infection slower than the normal rate, which would put you at risk of more problems. And so it is best to embed checking for those ulcers in your daily routine.

Infections that do not heal over time can cause skin and tissue to die and turn black. This is what’s called gangrene. Treatment can involve surgery to amputate a toe, foot, or part of a leg. Remember that Diabetes-related foot problems can worsen very quickly and are difficult to treat, so it’s important to seek medical attention.