Chronic, non-healing wounds and wound infections are among the primary reasons behind severe complications like amputations. Moreover, if a person is diabetic, the chances of amputation even increase. People suffering from diabetes and other diseases like hypertension, heart disease, vascular disease, or COPD often experience slower wound healing and are more prone to wound infections, diabetic foot ulcers, infections, and other complications. Even a small cut or injury can get infected easily. Therefore, diabetic patients need to take care of their foot injuries right away. Proper wound care and prevention is the first step in avoiding diabetes complications.
Tips For Diabetic Wound Care
Neuropathy or nerve damage is the primary side effect of diabetes that occurs due to the excessive sugar in the bloodstream and can damage the nerves over time. Due to the numbness in the nerves, the person with diabetes is incapable of feeling any pain or notice a cut or blister. Therefore, a person with diabetes should take proper care of their feet to avoid future medical complications.
Keep The Wound Covered And Moist
The very first step towards diabetic wound care is to keep wounds covered to protect them against any infection and exposure from foreign debris, & dust. Also, providing them proper moisture through an appropriate dressing will speed up their wound healing process. The only exception is when there is excessive drainage from the wound, it would require a more absorptive dressing. Proper wound care recommends cleaning wounds with saline, and then applying a topical gel or antibiotic ointment medication to the wound once a day, as instructed by the diabetic ulcer Ventura County.
Monitor Blood Sugar Levels
It is crucial for patients with diabetes to closely monitor their blood sugar levels especially if they have a diabetic foot ulcer. High blood sugar level prevents white cells from healing tissues. It can also lead to small blood vessel disease and insufficient blood flow around the healing process.
Take Off Pressure On Your Foot
If you are diabetic and suffering from a wound on your foot or leg, you need to take the pressure off which simply means staying off your feet. For this purpose, your doctor may ask a total contact cast to efficiently redistribute pressure throughout the leg or recommend avoiding walking directly on the wound for a couple of days until it gets healed. Though it can be difficult for the patients who are living a busy life, devices like post-op-shoes, removable orthopedic boots, etc. can provide “off-loading” for situations when they have to walk around.
Check Your Feet Everyday
Patients with diabetes need to daily check their feet to look for cuts, blisters, red spots, or swelling. This becomes even more important when the patient has a loss of sensation in their feet or legs due to diabetic neuropathy. More than 80% of amputations are caused by the development of foot ulcers as due to diabetic neuropathy, the patients are incapable of. If there is any cut in the foot or leg that is not healing or has a red appearance, they need to call wound care Los Angeles.
Don’t Perform Any Surgeries
Different types of wounds require different types of surgeries and one of them is called “Debridement”, a procedure to remove dead tissues. It is highly recommended in wound drainage to promote healing and helps in closer inspection. The patients need to avoid doing it on their own as it can easily end up damaging a blood vessel.
Regularly Change Wound Dressing Or Bandages
An appropriate dressing is essential to keep the wound protected from any further infection and maintain an appropriate level of moisture. It also allows the wound to drain and heal. Not changing your dressing can affect the wound healing process and moisture balance.
Wash Your Feet Daily
Patients with diabetes are required to keep their feet cleaned & moisturized. Wash feet with soap and warm water. After drying them well between the toes, apply a moisturizing cream to prevent skin from drying or cracking as it can cause sores.
Trim Your Toenails
Schedule an appointment with a podiatrist. It is an expert with a specialization in foot care. Have a discussion with them regarding the requirements of trimming toenails to prevent injury. This is important in people who have neuropathy or who’ve had foot ulcers before.
Keep An Eye On Other Factors That Affect Wound Healing
Patients with diabetes need to maintain a healthy diet that contains enough calories, protein, vitamins & minerals including vitamin C and zinc. They speed up the overall wound healing process. Apart from this, they need to quit smoking as it can weaken the immune system and prevent oxygen from reaching the wound site to help them heal. Always wear foot coverings due to reduced sensation. Contact wound care specialist Los Angeles if you notice any signs of infection including redness, swelling, drainage from the wounds, warmth to touch, or takes more time to heal, etc.
If the patient is having any history of non-healing wounds, wound infection, or peripheral vascular disease, venous ulcers, or others, they need to inform their Bedside Care Specialist USA. One of the best ways to prevent wounds is to stay physically active.
