Treatment
Treatment option for your diabetic foot problems l depends on the specific issue and its severity. You will either need surgery or not.
Nonsurgical treatment
After examining your condition, your doctor will first take some non-surgical measures, such as:
- Cleaning and dressing the wound
- Administering antibiotics to treat infections
- removing calluses
- prescribing immobilization devices, such as a walking cast or total contact cast
- closely observing any gangrene on the toes until self-amputation occurs, which is when the toes fall off due to lack of blood flow
- recommending exercises and diet changes to manage peripheral vascular disease and prevent it from getting worse
Surgical treatment
If one’s condition does not improve with nonsurgical treatment, a doctor might consider surgery. Surgical options include:
- removal of decayed or dead tissue
- removal of ingrown toenails
- amputating the affected limb, which may range from a single toe to the leg above the knee
- surgically stabilizing Charcot Foot
- performing an arterial bypass for peripheral vascular disease, which assists blood flow to the area
- performing endovascular surgery with placement of stents, which are small devices that keep blood vessels open