Diabetic Foot Care Specialist
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Jim Francois, D.P.M., P.T, PA
Foot & Ankle Surgeon & Podiatrist located in North Miami Beach, FL
If you’re one of the 30 million Americans who suffers from diabetes, you need a podiatrist who understands diabetic wound and foot care. Jim François, DPM, PT, PA practices podiatry and foot and ankle surgery in North Miami Beach, Florida, and has been providing foot care to patients in southern Florida for nearly a decade. Avoid diabetic complications by keeping your feet safe and healthy with Dr. François. Call the office today, or book your initial consultation online. Dr.François also serves the communities of Aventura, Miami, Miami Gardens, Miami Lakes, North Miami, Opa-Locka, and Sunny Isles, FL.
Diabetic Foot Care Q & A
Why do people with diabetes need special foot care?
When you have diabetes, you’re at risk for specific complications that can impact your feet. Neuropathy, or permanent nerve damage, impacts your extremities and often starts with your feet. You may experience tingling or numbness, and as the disease progresses, you may lose complete feeling in your feet, ankles, and lower legs.
Once neuropathy sets in, your risk for developing foot ulcers increases. New shoes, ill-fitting shoes, or even a small stone in your shoe can irritate your skin enough to cause an ulcer, and since neuropathy stops the feeling, you may not feel the wound fester.
What’s more, when you have diabetes, your circulation slows. When you do injure your foot or lower leg, the blood flow is limited, making healing more difficult.
What is a diabetic foot ulcer?
A diabetic foot ulcer is a wound that occurs on the foot from irritation and, because you can’t feel it, festers into an open sore. Approximately 15% of people with diabetes develop foot ulcers.
These foot ulcers can turn severe and, without care, can lead to hospitalization. Foot ulcers may lead to lower extremity amputation, with 14-24% of people with diabetes who develop foot ulcers eventually needing amputation.
How do you treat diabetic foot wounds?
When Dr. François treats your diabetic foot wound, his goal is to promote healing quickly to reduce the risk of further complications. Depending on the severity of your wound, he may recommend:
- Infection prevention through hygiene, medication, and wound dressing
- Reducing pressure, sometimes referred to as off-loading
- Debridement, or removing dead skin and tissue from the wound
- Blood-glucose management
How do you prevent diabetic foot wounds?
When it comes to diabetic foot care, prevention is the best possible solution. Dr. François recommends seeing him regularly.
Routine diabetic foot care allows your podiatrist to check your foot for wounds, irritation, or other issues that can lead to complications. If you have any of the following symptoms, you’re considered high risk for foot ulcers:
- Poor circulation
- Neuropathy
- Foot deformity, including bunions and hammer toes
- Poor blood-sugar management
- History of foot ulcers
- Smoking cigarettes or drinking alcohol
Along with routine podiatrist checkups, daily at-home monitoring of your feet is essential for diabetic foot health.
If you have diabetes, you need to see a podiatrist. Call Dr. François’s office today to book your initial consultation, or use our convenient online booking agent to schedule your appointment.
