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Ulcers are unpleasant open sores that form on your feet and ankles. If you have ulcers, you’ll benefit from the expert wound care services that Christos Kyrou, DPM, Kamal Farha, DPM, and their team at Kyrou Podiatry Associates provide at their offices in Wappingers Falls, Carmel, Poughkeepsie, Mahopac, and Pawling, New York. The team uses advanced treatments, including grafting, hydrotherapy, and minimal incision surgery (MIS), to prevent infection and help wounds heal. Call your nearest Kyrou Podiatry Associates office or request an appointment online for outstanding wound care today.
Wound Care Q & A
What is wound care?
Wound care refers to the specialized treatment of foot and ankle ulcers. These open sores are red, inflamed, and frequently ooze fluid. The damage can reach down to the bone in some patients. Ulcers resist healing, which is why they require specialized wound care.
The Kyrou Podiatry Associates team uses advanced treatments to help you avoid infection and encourage healing. The experienced wound care experts use their knowledge to ensure that you avoid complications like gangrene. Gangrene causes tissue death and can spread up the leg.
Gangrene that doesn’t respond to treatment can result in amputation to prevent infection from destroying healthy tissue. Patients at Kyrou Podiatry Associates benefit from the wound care team’s excellence in preventing amputation (limb salvage).
What ulcers might require wound care?
Diabetic foot ulcers are the most common. Diabetes causes blood sugar levels to rise, damaging your nerves and blood vessels. Nerve damage (diabetic peripheral neuropathy) can numb your feet to the point that you don’t realize you have a cut or sore.
Poor blood flow reduces healing in your foot and ankle, so injuries are exposed to bacteria for extended periods and are more likely to become ulcers.
Venous stasis ulcers are also common. They develop in people with chronic venous insufficiency (CVI), the cause of varicose veins. Reduced blood flow in your legs and feet weakens the tissues surrounding your veins, so it breaks down, resulting in ulcer formation.
Arterial ulcers form near the arteries that deliver blood to your legs. They affect people with peripheral arterial disease (PAD), which develops when excess cholesterol builds up to form plaque that lines the arteries. The narrowed arteries limit blood flow, reducing the delivery of oxygen, nutrients, and healing cells to the tissues.
What does wound care involve?
Ulcer cleaning and debridement (removing dead and infected tissue) are the first stages of wound care. Specialized dressings like alginate for bleeding and oozing wounds, hydrogel to keep nondraining ulcers moist, and collagen to support healing are available.
You might benefit from orthotics (custom-fitted shoe inserts) and/or diabetic shoes to reduce pressure on ulcers. Kyrou Podiatry Associates specializes in advanced in-office procedures like grafting, hydrotherapy, and minimal incision surgery (MIS) to help take pressure off the foot and promote wound healing.
Call Kyrou Podiatry Associates or request an appointment online today to benefit from advanced wound care.