It’s common to have minor scratches and wounds on your feet, as we have to walk around through it. Sometimes, these wounds are not minor, and they can cause a lot of complications. The foot ulcers are one of them. They are not just regular cuts or scrapes on your feet. They are deep sores and cannot heal within a few days easily, as their healing speed is much slower. Foot ulcers can cause complications and infection in the foot, especially for those who are diabetic. To avoid complications, it’s important to understand foot ulcer types and their treatments.
Diabetic Foot Ulcers
It’s one of the most common foot ulcers, which usually happen to diabetic patients. If you’re diabetic, you’ll be more familiar with this type. It can take many to heal, and sometimes it doesn’t heal. It’s because high blood sugar can damage nerves and blood vessels, which can lead to poor circulation and a reduced ability to heal wounds. These ulcers usually form on the bottom of the feet, and because of slow healing, they can increase the risk of infection.
For the treatment, you can adopt several habits, such as checking blood sugar levels, cleaning the wound, and applying dressings. Your doctor can also suggest antibiotics and advanced treatments like hyperbaric oxygen therapy and skin substitutes.
Venous Ulcers
Venous ulcers commonly happen due to the irregular or poor circulation of blood flow in your legs. When your blood vessels are not working properly or not sending back the blood to your heart, then pressure builds up in the veins and causes the veins to leak the blood inside the skin. Swelling and aching in the legs are common symptoms of venous ulcers.
To treat this, you can wear compression stockings to reduce swelling and improve blood flow. Also, you can try to elevate the legs to reduce swelling.
Pressure Ulcers
Pressure ulcers are also known as bedsores. When you’ve too much pressure on any part of the body for too long, like while sleeping, you’re more likely to get a pressure ulcer. These are very common in people who have difficulty walking and spend most of their time in bed and in a wheelchair. Pressure ulcers usually occur on the heels, ankles, and toes.
To cure this problem, you should regularly change the body positions or choose a special type of mattress that helps in preventing pressure ulcers. Additionally, you can take advanced treatments like vaporox foot wound care, which is effective in managing pressure ulcers.
Arterial Ulcers
Arterial ulcers are a result of poor blood flow due to any blockage inside the arteries of your legs and feet. Because of this lack of blood flow, there can be huge pain in the affected area. These ulcers usually develop on the tips of the toes, heels, or other pressure points. Arterial ulcers appear on the leg as small, round sores with a pale base.
Treatment of these ulcers focuses on improving the blood flow through medications that improve circulation and reduce pain. There are also some surgical procedures like angioplasty or bypass surgery to restore blood flow.
