Podiatry

Simple things like shoe inserts, foot care and regular checkups can reduce amputations among patients with diabetes by more than half….

I have served for 29 years in the Peripheral Vascular Disease Clinic of a large metropolitan hospital. We see many diabetic patients who have already lost all or part of one leg and want us to care for the remaining extremity. When I interview these patients, I always ask for …

LEAP Program: Free Monofilaments This monofilament, produced by the Lower Extremity Amputation Prevention Program, is used to test for loss of protective sensation in the feet — a key indicator of diabetes or risk of diabetes. To order your free monofilaments, just follow this link.

The clinic has hosted two interdisciplinary conferences on diabetes care in the past year and has another planned for next March 15-17 at Meydenbauer Center in Bellevue, Wash., on prevention of diabetic amputations with a focus on medicine, surgery, research and wound care. “We have had up to 500 people, …

The severity of numbness is directly related to the risk of Charcot foot deformity.

Bone structure abnormalities and impaired foot and ankle biomechanics in diabetic patients are key risk factors for development of serious ulcers.

Diabetes and its complications are the leading cause of non-traumatic lower extremity amputations in the United States. Neuropathy, a common complication of diabetes, is a major contributing force leading to lower extremity amputation. Neuropathy leads to an anesthetic foot with increased pressure on the sole of the foot. This increased …

Custom inserts and shoes are not needed in those with good routine foot care.