Charcot Foot

In weeks past, we've blogged about the prevalence of type 2 diabetes in Jacksonville, as well as some of the manifestations it will have on your feet. Over time, people with diabetes lose sensation in their feet, a condition known as peripheral neuropathy. While this is an undesireable outcome in itself, this loss of sensation may lead to Charcot Foot (pronounced shar-KO), a severely disabling condition. While we at On Your Feet want to maintain a positive tone at the blog, patient education is our goal, and thus any patient who has neuropathy needs to be aware of this stark condition.

When you lose sensation in your foot, you don't feel as much pain as you otherwise would. If you injure yourself, you won't notice. You'll just keep on going about as usual, on your injured foot. As you might imagine, this will only make a bad situation worse. These many repeated tiny injuries add up. Bones will break or dislocate, and the foot becomes deformed.

Prevention and early diagnosis are both key. If you are experiencing neuropathy, you won't be able to feel pain, so look for other signs of injury in your feet. Is one foot more swollen? Does it look red? If so, you may have an injury you are not aware of. Consult with Dr. Reddy or a podiatrist in your area to determine what the next course of action will be. However, you should expect to spend a good deal of time off that foot. With early diagnosis, you will prevent further damage and keep your foot as healthy as possible.

Loss of Sensation in Feet

Your nerves are set up like telephone wires throughout your body, conveying information about the outside world to your brain, as well as carrying messages from the brain to parts of your body. When you lose sensation in your feet, it is because some of those telephone wires became damaged. This condition is known as neuropathy (new-ROP-a-thee).

While neuropathy is not unique to diabetes, half of all people with diabetes have some kind of nerve damage. When there is too much sugar circulating in the blood stream, it can damage the walls of the blood vessels that provide oxygen to nerves, especially those of the leg and feet. For this reason, people with diabetes need to pay careful attention to their feet to prevent or delay nerve damage and other complications.

If you are experiencing neuropathy in your feet, you will need to be extra kind to them. In particular, you will not be able to feel pain like you used to. This might seem like a good thing, but pain is your body's way of telling you that something is wrong. Many times, people with neuropathy will not be aware that they are hurting their feet with every step they take. Check your feet every day for signs of injury. This way, you will catch problems while they are still small and easy to solve. If you see a cut, bump, or red spot, take immediate action to protect the area. For additional guidance on managing your neuropathy, consult with Dr. Reddy or a podiatrist in your area.

5 Complications Every Diabetic Should Know of

Type 2 Diabetes is one of the most common afflictions Americans suffer from. Furthermore, the incidence in Jacksonville is well above state and national averages, as reported here.
It affects your entire body, including your feet. Over the coming weeks, we at On Your Feet will be posting articles pertaining to Diabetes and the havoc it will wreak to your lower extremities. Before doing so, we'd like to share some general complications of diabetes. If you have Type 2 diabetes, or are at risk, a good place to start reading would be here. However, here is a quick rundown on body parts to watch:

1. Heart- Diabetics are many times more likely to be at risk of heart attack and stroke. High blood pressure is also very common.
   
2. Eyes- Diabetes will be damaging to the retinas of your eyes. These are the parts of your eye that pick up images from the world and send them to your brain. This leads to loss of vision and blindness.
   
3. Kidneys- Early on, diabetics will find themselves urinating more frequently and drinking more water. In later stages, there is a risk of kidney failure.
   
4. FEET! - As this is a podiatry blog, we would be remiss to neglect the impact of diabetes on your feet. Many complications arise when blood has a harder time circulating through your feet. Other complications come from loss of sensation. In forthcoming blog entries, we will delve deeper into what kinds of problems diabetics face. Which brings us to the fifth complication…
   
5. Amputation- It might be a toe, or it might be the whole foot. The loss of a body part is devastating, but it might be the only option to save a patient's life. Fortunately, your podiatrist will do everything to make sure that doesn't happen.