If you step on a sharp object or develop a slow-healing ulcer, wound care can lower the risk of infection and speed up your body’s natural healing process. At Annapolis Foot & Ankle Center, board-certified foot and ankle wound specialists provide wound care to minimize the risk of gangrene and amputations.
What Is Wound Care?
Our wound specialists diagnose and treat wounds, as well as, monitor wounds for risks of infection and complications.
If you have diabetes or another health problem, it can increase your risk for wounds and wound complications. Diabetic wound care is especially essential for amputation prevention. Diabetic neuropathy is a leading cause for wounds. If you injure yourself and don’t realize it, a wound may become infected, increasing the risk of tissue death or the need for amputation.
Blood circulation issues can also increase your chances of developing a foot wound or your chances of complications such as amputations.
When to See a Foot Wound Specialist in Maryland?
At Chesapeake Amputation Prevention Center, our Maryland wound specialists use advanced wound care techniques to treat foot ulcers in patients with health conditions that put them at risk for serious infection and amputation, including the following:
- Poor circulation
- Diabetes
- Kidney failure
- High blood pressure
- Lymphedema
- Infections
- Tumors
Even patients who don’t have one of these health issues can benefit from our wound-care services. If you step on an object like a nail or cut your foot while exercising or playing sports, it can be difficult to treat the wound, keep it clean, and bandage it effectively. In our wound care center, we will take steps to protect the injury while it heals.
What Types of Foot Wounds Do Our Wound Specialists Treat?
Chesapeake Amputation Prevention Center uses wound care to treat any type of cut, puncture, or laceration on the foot, as well as these three specific types of health-related ulcers:
Venous Stasis Ulcers
Venous stasis ulcers occur due to poor circulation, usually forming just above the ankles or on the calves. These ulcers are red or purple and ooze pus or fluids. Often, they feel warm to the touch and occur alongside swelling.
Diabetic Ulcers
Diabetic ulcers occur due to poorly managed diabetes. They tend to develop on weight-bearing areas of the feet, like the balls or heels. Diabetic ulcers are pink, red, or black. They develop slowly and trigger symptoms like tingling, numbness, or burning pain.
Arterial (Ischemic) Ulcers
Arterial ulcers form on the heels or between the toes. They are yellow, brown, or black and rarely bleed. Arterial ulcers are the most painful type of wound. Often, they flare up at night, making it difficult to get a restful night’s sleep.
How Are Wounds Diagnosed?
When you see our wound care team, we will take a health history, ask you about your symptoms, and physically examine your feet and ankles to diagnose wounds. Most of the time, visual observation is enough to make a diagnosis. Depending on your age and health history, we might also order lab tests or diagnostic imaging.
What Does Wound Care Involve?
Our wound care treatment goes far beyond what you could do at home and even beyond what urgent care centers or primary care physicians would do for you. We use advanced tissue products to minimize the uncomfortable symptoms of open wounds and to encourage healing. Following a comprehensive exam, we might recommend the following:
- Amniotic tissue grafts
- Moist dressings
- Alginate dressings
- Collagen wound dressings
- Debridement
- Antimicrobial dressings
- Synthetic skin substitutes
- Composite dressings
We will schedule follow-up visits to change dressings and assess healing.
Preventing Amputations
Our Annapolis podiatrists specialize in preventing amputations of the foot and toes. We treat patients in our Central Maryland office with wounds and ulcers every day. Many patients have been suffering from a wound for many months or years. In order to prevent amputations, make an appointment with a wound specialist in Annapolis to prevent serious complications.
Make an Appointment with our Maryland Wound Specialists
To learn more about wound care and its benefits, make an appointment at the Chesapeake Amputation Prevention Center in Annapolis, Marlyand. Call for more information and to schedule a consultation, or book online today. Our experienced podiatrists are committed to comprehensive wound care treatment for people with complicated medical conditions- that's why we're considered the foot wound specialists in Annapolis. Do not hesitate to reach out to us for help!
