Your daily routine can get thrown off course quickly by a painful ailment known as the foot ulcer. As many as 750,000 people in the United States alone suffer foot ulcers every year, and without proper treatment they can become a painful problem. But the key to curing these injuries is identifying the root cause, and with factors ranging from bedsheets to heart disease, it can be a daunting task without help from a physician.
Types
If you have a foot ulcer, it is likely an arterial ulcer. Bleeding does not typically occur with an arterial ulcer. The base is usually yellow, brown, gray, or black and sometimes accompanied by swelling and redness if there is an infection or irritation. Diabetics may also get a different form of an ulcer called a neurotrophic ulcer. It is estimated that 15 percent of diabetics will have a foot ulcer at some point. Up to 86 percent heal with proper treatment, according to Life Clinic.
Causes
An arterial ulcer occurs most often on the heels and toes where the foot rubs against bedsheets, shoes, socks or other shoes, according to Cleveland Clinic. An ulcer may also occur where the toenail cuts the skin, often due to an ingrown toenail. There are a number of reasons that an ulcer may occur, but the most common contributing factors include poor circulation, diabetes, renal failure, hypertension and circulatory conditions, such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and heart disease.
Treatment
Visiting your doctor is the smartest step when trying to treat a foot ulcer. Antibiotics are available in the event of an infection, as are anti-blood clotting medications. Your doctor may also recommend various compression garments to protest the afflicted area and/or prosthetics to make daily use of your foot easier while the ulcer heals. In more severe cases, doctors may opt for surgery to improve the area by restoring circulation.
Home Remedies
In the event that the foot ulcer is not serious enough to warrant a doctor's visit, there are several things you can do to try and alleviate stress on the injury in an effort to correct the problem yourself. Like any other open wound, avoiding infections by keeping the open sore clean is of greatest importance. You should also drink fluids throughout your day, eat a healthy diet and make sure that you have the right shoes to accommodate the shape of your feet and the ulcer itself. Your doctor may also give you supplements or medicines to take and advise you on gauze and/or compression garments, including how often they should be changed.
Prevention
Your best bet to avoid a foot ulcer is to control or eliminate risk factors that could lead to one. You should keep an eye on circulatory problems, such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol, and manage your daily sodium intake. Talk to your doctor if you have a history of blood clotting or heart disease, and quit smoking if you currently do. Most often, a foot ulcer is the result of other problems within your body, such as diabetes, and could be a warning sign of other issues.
Tags: foot ulcer, arterial ulcer, heart disease, blood pressure, compression garments, doctor also, have foot