Harvey R. Danciger, DPM
74-000 Country Club Drive, Suite A-2
Palm Desert, CA 92260
(760) 568-0108
Ulcers
Understanding the different kinds of problems with your feet is the best way to prevent and treat them. We believe our patients make the best decisions by being fully informed. Our patient library is an excellent learning tool for understanding all kinds of foot conditions, injuries, diseases, and deformities. It's also a great resource for answers to common questions like, "What should I look for in a shoe?", "How can I stretch my feet?", or "How can I prevent ingrown toenails?"
Browse through our library by using the tool bar on the right side of this page.
Not only can you find valuable information in our patient library, but we also provide excellent information on our blogs every week. By following us on twitter or checking out our facebook page, you can also follow links to interesting foot-related issues and see what others are saying about feet.
As always, you can contact our office to answer any questions or concerns.
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"The best way to take care of your feet and ankles is to have the information you need. That's why I'm making this book available to anyone who requests it"
- Dr. Harvey Danciger
Ulcers are skin wounds that are slow to heal. In the foot, as prominent metatarsal heads on the plantar (bottom of the foot)are subjected to increased pressure, the skin begins to become callused. When subjected to shearing forces, there is a separation between the layers on this callused skin, which fills with fluid and becomes contaminated and infected. The result is a foot ulcer.
Ulcers are classified in four stages, according to how deeply they penetrate the layers of skin they have broken through.
The four stages of ulcers are:
- Stage 1—Characterized by reddening wounds over bony areas. The redness on the skin does not go away when pressure is relieved.
- Stage 2—Characterized by blisters, peeling, or cracked skin. There is a partial thickness skin loss involving the top two layers of the skin.
- Stage 3—Characterized by broken skin and sometimes bloody drainage. There is a full thickness skin loss involving subcutaneous tissue (the tissue between the skin and the muscle.)
- Stage 4—Characterized by breaks in the skin involving skin, muscle, tendon, and bone and are often associated with a bone infection (osteomyelitis).
The are also four major cause of foot ulcers:
- Neuropathic—Related to the nerves and characterized by a loss of sensation in the feet.
- Arterial—Related to poor blood circulation to the lower extremity. This type of ulcer can be very painful and is usually found on the tips of toes, lower legs, ankle, heel, and top of the foot. It can very easily become infected.
- Venous—Related to compromised veins. These ulcers are often seen around the inside of the ankle and are slow to heal.
- Decubitus—Derived from excessive and prolonged pressure on one area of the foot. The most common type of decubitus ulcer of the feet is bed sores on the backs of the heels of people confined to bed for long periods of time.
Foot ulcers are a common problem for diabetics. Contact casts are sometimes applied to the diabetic foot to relieve the bony prominent areas of pressure, allowing ulcers to heal.
