3 Steps People with Diabetes Should Take to Prevent Amputation

The number of people with diabetes in the United States is still rising and now we’re at more than 40 million people who are affected by this chronic disease.

The diabetes journey can be full of potential landmines and the threat of amputation is one of the more serious ones. The reality is that every three minutes and 30 seconds in the US, a limb is amputated because of diabetes. In fact, diabetes accounts for about 80% of overall amputations.

Now here’s a number we want you to really focus on. Today, 85% of amputations are preventable.

At Foot Ankle Leg Wound Care Orange County, double board-certified foot, ankle, and leg wound specialist Dr. Thomas Rambacher has dedicated his career to saving limbs from amputation and here’s what we want you to know.

Why diabetes places you at more risk for amputation

We first want to describe the connection between diabetes and amputation, which looks more like a downward spiral of developments.

First, when you have diabetes, blood vessels and nerves in your lower limbs can become damaged thanks to high levels of glucose in your bloodstream. As a result of this peripheral neuropathy (nerve damage) and vascular damage, people with diabetes have a lifetime risk for foot ulcers that range between 19% and 34%.

While an ulcer might not sound like a big deal, between 50% and 60% of diabetic foot ulcers become infected thanks to a lack of blood flow and oxygen, which are critical for healing.

When we play this out even further, we get to amputation, which occurs when infections can’t be contained and gangrene sets in. Amputation then becomes a way to contain the tissue die-off and infection.

Key steps to take to prevent amputation

As promised, we want to take this discussion into a more productive direction and outline ways in which we can work toward amputation prevention. These steps include:

1. Managing your blood sugar

The most important thing you can do when you have diabetes is to monitor the levels of glucose in your blood and manage them with insulin. People with well-managed diabetes often don’t develop diabetic foot ulcers in the first place, which is a great prevention tactic.

2. Perform daily foot checks

It’s also important that you inspect your feet daily for any damage. Even something as small as a blister is cause for concern if you have diabetes. So, every night before bed, we want you to wash and dry your feet carefully and check for any issues.

3. Get immediate help for any foot wound

If you wound your foot or develop a foot ulcer, we want you to see us as soon as possible. This early intervention can make all the difference and change the course of your health as we can quickly contain the problem before infection sets in.

How we can help prevent amputation

Now that we’ve covered what you can do to prevent diabetes-related amputation, we want you to know that there’s a lot that we can do on our end.

If you have a diabetic foot ulcer that’s not healing properly, we have a wide range of tools and treatments at our disposal, including:

• Wound cleaning and debridement
• Prescription wound care products
• Surgical wound care, including flap reconstruction and skin grafting

As important as all of the above is the experience that Dr. Rambacher brings to diabetic foot care. It’s no exaggeration to say that Dr. Rambacher has prevented scores of amputations based on his experience and top-notch care. With the belief that no area of your foot is too small to save, he works tirelessly toward preserving your lower limbs.

If you have more questions about amputation prevention or you suspect you have a wound that needs a higher standard of care, please call our office in Mission Viejo, California, at 949-832-6018 or request an appointment online today.