You are bound to get minor wounds while indoors or outdoors. Unfortunately, the wounds might mean something tragic when you have diabetes. Diabetes causes you to develop slow-healing wounds or ulcers that might never heal, making you susceptible to infections. Even when you may not have infections on the wound, the slow healing will most likely affect your overall well-being, preventing you from enjoying your everyday life. Are you worried about your slow-healing diabetic wounds in Overland Park? If so, Wound Care and Hyperbaric Medicine specialists are the experts to contact. Though wounds are likely to develop on your feet, the sores may also occur in other areas, including your hands.
How do diabetes wounds develop?
Insulin allows your system to take and use sugars from your bloodstream. However, your body impairs your production and sensitivity to insulin when you have diabetes. The disruption of insulin makes it challenging for your body to control your sugar levels. High sugar levels, especially when they remain permanently high, impair the functions of your white blood cells, making it difficult for your body to fight harmful invaders and close wounds.
Failure to control your diabetes may also cause poor circulation, forcing your blood to drag. Poor blood circulation makes it hard for your blood to transport nutrients to your wounds, resulting in slow-healing wounds. Diabetes may also cause nerve damage, making it difficult for you to realize an injury. Thus, you might sustain trauma without knowing it because nerve damage causes you to be numb, especially in areas of injury. Inability to notice a wound will prevent you from seeking professional health, increasing your infection risk. Other factors that might also increase your risks of developing diabetic ulcers include:
- Dry and cracking skin
- Foot abnormalities
- Impaired sweating
- Infections, especially those affecting your toes
Poor blood circulation because of diabetes might result in other severe complications, including kidney infection, heart disease, and osteomyelitis (muscle and bone infection). When the progression of the wounds worsens because of an infection, your doctor will most likely recommend an amputation.
Prevention of wounds
The first thing about managing foot ulcers is prevention. Besides the common causes of wounds like burns or scratches, you will need to contact your doctor for him to determine if your risks of developing the ulcers are high and strategize on how to minimize them. You are at risk of having diabetic wounds when you have:
- Nerve damage
- Foot deformity
- Uncontrolled blood sugars
- Wear inappropriate shoes
- Poor circulation
You may also reduce your risk factors when you quit smoking and alcohol consumption. Learning to care for your feet will help you notice possible problems and address them before they worsen. Assess your feet daily for potential abnormalities and report to the medical professional soonest, regardless of how small the cut is.
Diabetes makes you susceptible to sores. Unfortunately, the ulcers will not heal like you would expect them, increasing your risks of infection. Do not let diabetic wounds advance when you can consult your doctor to learn how to care for them.
