Diabetic ulcers are serious wounds that you can develop on your feet and ankles as a complication of diabetes. Many diabetic ulcers can be managed conservatively, but others require surgical treatment.
The good news is that podiatrists Thomas Rambacher, DPM, FACFAS, FAPWCA, and Amber O’Connor, DPM, can treat most diabetic ulcers that require surgery with minimally invasive surgery at Podiatry Hotline Foot & Ankle in Mission Viejo, California. Understand what you can expect from minimally invasive diabetic ulcer surgery.
Before recommending surgery, our team often tries to manage diabetic ulcers conservatively. Conservative treatment includes:
Not all diabetic ulcers respond well to conservative care. Diabetes can reduce blood flow to your lower legs, making it more difficult for your diabetic ulcers to respond effectively to nonsurgical treatment.
Our team also recommends surgery when diabetic ulcers are filled with infected or dead tissue, are causing or are caused by a foot deformity, or when the blood flow to your legs is too slow for the ulcer to heal without surgery.
When conservative treatment doesn’t work, revolutionary surgical techniques can fix your diabetic ulcer. Whenever possible, our team uses minimally invasive surgery to correct diabetic ulcers.
Minimally invasive surgery uses special instruments and X-ray guidance to perform diabetic ulcer surgery. With this assistance, we can perform the surgery using only tiny incisions.
You have a lower risk of complications and recover more quickly after minimally invasive surgery. Other advantages include reduced scarring, less pain during recovery, and lower procedure costs.
Common procedures our team recommends for diabetic ulcers include:
A procedure called debridement removes any dead tissue or skin stuck to your ulcer. Your podiatrist uses a scalpel or similar tool to remove any dead skin and tissues.
Once removal is complete, we use disinfectant solution to help the wound heal without getting infected. During recovery, you can expect to keep your foot bandaged and to need to avoid weight-bearing activities.
Damage to your foot from diabetes complications can cause deformities that make diabetic ulcers worse and otherwise impair the functioning of your foot. Using minimally invasive techniques, our team performs customized surgery that can include lengthening tendons, grafting areas of damaged skin, replacing joints, and realigning bones.
Reconstructive surgery usually takes place in the hospital and requires the use of a cast and crutches during recovery.
If your diabetic ulcers are caused by poor blood flow, vascular surgery can help increase blood flow to your feet and prevent further ulcers. Many minimally invasive vascular surgeries are outpatient, in-office procedures that allow you to go home immediately after the procedure.
With the right combination of surgical and conservative treatment, diabetic ulcers can go away completely, and you can prevent extreme complications like amputation. If you have diabetes and would like assistance caring for and treating your feet, contact us to get started.
