Foot Wounds

A minor foot wound can quickly transform into a serious non-healing ulcer when you have a health condition like diabetes, peripheral artery disease (PAD), or venous insufficiency. For this reason, foot wounds require prompt medical care from a vascular expert like Enrique Hernandez, MD, at Advanced Vascular Cardiac & Veins in Miami, Florida. Don’t wait to seek medical attention. Call the office or request an appointment online today at the first sign of a foot wound.

What are foot wounds?

Foot wounds begin with a minor cut, abrasion, or pressure caused by shoes or a foot problem like corns and calluses. If you also have an underlying health condition that affects blood flow, the wound may have difficulty healing and an ulcer may develop.

What causes foot wounds?

Three common conditions cause foot wounds:

Diabetes

High blood sugar damages blood vessels and nerves. Blood vessel problems affect circulation and inhibit healing. Injured nerves can cause numbness, so you can’t feel an existing wound and recognize that you need treatment before it becomes an ulcer.

Peripheral artery disease (PAD)

Peripheral artery disease develops when cholesterol builds up in a leg artery (atherosclerosis), blocking blood flow to your lower leg and foot. In addition to stopping a wound on your foot from healing, PAD directly causes arterial ulcers by cutting off oxygen-rich blood. Arterial ulcers may appear on your lower leg or foot.

Venous insufficiency

Venous insufficiency most often causes ulcers around your ankle. These ulcers develop when faulty valves let blood build up in a leg vein, causing varicose veins. The accumulating blood increases blood pressure in the vein, forcing fluids to leak into the surrounding tissues. The fluids can damage your skin and cause a venous ulcer.

What symptoms accompany foot wounds?

In addition to a visible ulcer, you may experience:

• Round, deep wound
• An irregular, shallow wound
• Bleeding or oozing
• Skin that’s cold or warm to the touch
• Inflammation around the wound
• Wound appearing red, black, or yellow

Some ulcers are painful while others aren’t. A deep ulcer can affect muscles and tendons.

What are the complications of a foot wound?

All foot wounds are dangerous because they can keep enlarging and may not heal without wound care. This can lead to serious infections, tissue death, and gangrene. Advanced wounds need intensive limb salvage treatments to prevent an amputation.

How are foot wounds treated?

Your provider treats the underlying medical condition and performs wound care. Your treatment depends on the cause and stage, but may include any of the following:

• Compression stockings
• Sclerotherapy
• Mediations
• Endovenous ablation
• Angioplasty and stenting
• Wound debridement (cleaning the wound and removing infected or damaged tissues)
• Advanced wound dressings
• Skin substitute therapy
• Antibiotic therapy
• Negative pressure wound therapy
• Orthotics, bracing or casting to take pressure off the wound
• Limb salvage

Advanced Vascular Cardiac & Veins provides comprehensive care for foot wounds. Call the office or request an appointment online today.