When Is It Time to Get Medical Attention for a Wound?

Diabetes and other medical conditions can make it harder for your body to accomplish the tasks it needs to take on to keep you healthy and strong. One major task is wound healing.

Normal wound healing occurs in four phases. All four phases depend on healthy circulation:

Phase 1: Stop the bleeding
Phase 2: Trigger inflammation
Phase 3: Grow and rebuild tissue
Phase 4: Strengthen the area

If you get “stuck” at an early phase, your wound won’t heal. You may develop ulcers that, if untreated, could progress to gangrene. In fact, non-healing foot wounds are the main cause of limb amputation in diabetes.

Our expert podiatrists at North Park Podiatry encourage you to pay extra attention to your feet if you have diabetes or another condition that affects your circulation. We provide diabetic foot care — including wound care services — at our office in San Diego, California.

When should you seek medical attention from your podiatrist for a wound? The answers are below.

You didn’t notice that you had a wound

One sign that your circulation has been damaged by diabetes or for other reasons is that you lose sensation in your feet. Lack of blood supply robs your nerves of nourishment, and they start to die.

The first step in this process is peripheral artery disease (PAD), which means that the blood vessels in your feet are damaged by disease. Narrowed vessels mean that the tissues in your feet don’t receive the oxygen and nutrients they need to stay healthy.

Poor circulation leads to peripheral neuropathy. You may have tingling sensations in your feet, or they may be completely numb.

How numb? When your neuropathy is advanced, you could step on a tack and not even feel it. If you notice a wound that you didn’t realize, especially if you can’t feel any pain, seek medical attention.

Your wound won’t heal

Your body’s immune system and healing process take time, but you should notice quick improvements in your wound. Here are the details for each phase:

Phase 1: Your bleeding stops shortly after the injury occurs.
Phase 2: Inflammation, including pain, lasts 4-6 days
Phase 3: Your body rebuilds the area over the next 4-24 days.
Phase 4: Strengthening can last three weeks and up to two years.

If your scab keeps falling off, revealing the wound anew, or if a scab never forms, see us immediately. A wound that doesn’t visibly start to heal after two weeks is considered an ulcer.

You have a leg or foot ulcer

A non-healing wound or a wound that keeps recurring is a sign that you have an ulcer and must seek medical attention as soon as possible. About 1% of people in the United States have at least one leg or foot ulcer. The rate goes up to 4% for those over age 65.

Signs of an ulcerated wound include:

Pus or other discharge
Scaly or itchy skin around the wound
Leg pain, especially after standing
Bruised-looking skin
Leg or foot swelling

Leg and foot ulcers are difficult to heal completely, even with medical aid. However, without treatment, you’re at risk for gangrene and possible amputation.

First, we evaluate your wound and also take a medical history. Depending on the results of tests, we may perform or recommend:

Wound debridement
Sclerotherapy to remove broken veins
Antiseptics
Regular bandage changes
Antibiotics
Leg elevation
Compression therapy

Protect your legs and feet, especially if you have diabetes or another chronic condition. If you have a wound that doesn’t heal or keeps coming back, call us at 619-283-2097 for wound care or fill out our online appointment form today.