Ulcers

Symtoms

Symptoms of wounds or ulcers on the foot may include decreased mobility, pain, odor, redness, and/or drainage.

There may or may not be an obvious open soar, depending of the degree of the wound. Below are the varying degrees:

Grade O: High risk foot, no ulcer at the present time
Grade 1: Superficial ulcer
Grade 2: Deep ulcer, no bony involvement
Grade 3: Deep ulcers that are open to the bone, abscess may be present
Grade 4: Localized gangrene of the forefoot or toe(s)
Grade 5: Gangrene of the whole foot

Possible Causes

Pressure ulcers are sores that occur when pressure cuts off the blood supply to the skin, or when any type of interuption occurs to the skin (like a crack, a red "hot" spot, etc).

Force or friction against the bottom of your foot causes the skin to thicken, forming a callus. If the skin keeps thickening, the callus presses up into the foot. This kills healthy tissue and causes pain. Unfortunately, you may not notice the pain if you have neuropathy, a health problem that limits how much feeling you have in your feet. As healthy skin dies, an ulcer fornis. Ulcers may progress from hot spots to infected wounds very quickly.

Left untreated, an ulcer may allow infection to enter your body. If infection reaches the blood stream or bone, your life or limb may be at risk. But with your doctor's help, your health can be protected. Pressure ulcers can be controlled and even prevented with the help of a podiatric physician.

Treament

To assist healing, thickened skin around the ulcer may be cleaned away. Medicated ointment or cream may be applied to prevent infection. Sometimes a special dressing is used to help keep the wound dry.

Reducing force to take pressure off hot spots and ulcers, your doctor may prescribe orthoses. These custom- made shoe inserts absorb or divert pressure from problem areas. Special shoes or temporary casts may also be used.

Using antibiotics to control or prevent infection, your doctor may prescribe antibiotics. Take them all, and take them as directed. If you stop using an antibiotic too soon, the infection may come back.

If surgery is needed surgery may be needed if infection enters deep tissues or bone. In such cases, your
doctor cleans away the infection while removing as little tissue or bone as possible. You may also be given intravenous (IV) antibiotics to fight the infection.