Charcot's foot, the nerve damage that is usually experienced by people with diabetes

Not only diabetic feet, which is a "common disease" of diabetics. Did you know about Charcot's feet, which are experienced by many people with diabetes? Just like diabetic feet, Charcot's feet or joints also target the foot and ankle area as its primary targets. To better understand, thoroughly peel around Charcot's feet through the reviews below, yes!

What causes Charcot's feet?

Charcot arthropathy, or more commonly known as Charcot foot or Charcot foot, is a condition that causes the bones, joints, and soft tissue in one or both feet to feel nothing, aka numbness. Gradually, the leg bones will weaken so that they are very susceptible to fractures and dislocations (shifting the position of the bones).

The weakened condition of the leg bones can make it easy to sprinkle the joints of the feet, which then change the shape of the foot. As a result, the legs look curved downwards or called rocker-bottom foot (view image).

Source: Foot Health Facts

The main cause of loss of sensation in the feet is nerve damage, which is called peripheral neuropathy. Although most of the Charcot foot conditions are more experienced by people with diabetes, some of these things also cause nerve damage in the feet:

Alcohol and drug abuse and dependence
Spinal cord injury
Parkinson's disease
HIV
Syphilis
Polio
Damage to peripheral nerves (nerves outside the brain and spinal cord)
Fractures or sprains that are not treated promptly
A wound on the leg that won't heal
Infection and inflammation of the feet

Not infrequently, Charcot foot can cause wounds that are quite difficult to heal. If not treated immediately, this condition is at risk of causing deformities, leg deformities, and amputation.

What are the symptoms of Charcot's feet?

Generally, Charcot foot will cause symptoms in the form of swelling of the feet, redness, until the feet feel warm to the touch. However, all these symptoms usually do not appear at once, but develop gradually.

Stage 1:

In this early stage, symptoms are characterized by the appearance of significant redness and swelling of the feet and ankles. After that, the foot area starts to feel hot to the touch. This is due to swelling of the soft tissue and fractures on the inside of the leg.

Next, a bony protrusion appears at the bottom of the leg, making it appear flat. If not treated immediately, this process can continue for a long time.

Stage 2:

After going through the changes that occurred in stage 1, the body then proceeds to repair the damage to the leg itself. Damage to joints and bones begins to improve, eventually swelling, redness, and a warm sensation no longer develops.

Stage 3:

At this stage, there is no significant development in the legs anymore. But unfortunately, the condition of the legs still cannot return to their original shape. Finally, the shape of the legs appears abnormal.

How to treat this condition?

The goal of the treatment for Charcot's foot condition is to relieve the swelling and sensation of heat, while keeping the shape of the foot from further distorting. As much as possible, you should avoid putting excessive pressure on the feet to avoid further damage.

You can take the following treatments to help stop the development of Charcot foot:

Wear special boots or other protective shoes on the feet
Reducing too much stress on the legs, such as by using a wheelchair, crutches, or scooter
Using a foot orthotic
Using a cast attached to the leg

Even though you have done such treatment to protect your feet, don't forget to regularly check your condition with your doctor. In cases that are already classified as severe, surgery may be the best route recommended by the doctor. Especially when the treatment that has been done before does not show positive results.

Once declared cured, you usually still need to wear therapeutic or diabetic shoes to prevent the possibility of Charcot's foot recurrence in the future. This shoe is specifically for those of you who have suffered nerve injuries or damage to the feet.