The Reasons Why Diabetic Wounds Take So Long to Heal
Your body develops diabetes when it cannot generate or properly utilize insulin. Insulin converts sugar into fuel for the body. Increased blood sugar levels are likely to occur if your body has problems breaking down carbohydrates. It can eventually hamper your body’s capacity to repair wounds.
Minor scratches and bruises are all-natural byproducts of an active lifestyle. Because such occurrences take place very frequently and the way your body swiftly responds to them, such scrapes usually go unnoticed.
People with diabetes go through a completely different process of healing. If you come across a diabetic person, they will tell you how we take our health for granted and how these “minor” scrapes and bruises cause great concern for them.
People with Diabetes and their healing process:
Recognizing why people with diabetes require prolonged periods for their bodies to recover from injuries, creates a better understanding of how important it is to stay informed and make the right decisions in your life to minimize the impact of diabetes on your health and daily life.
- Blood-Glucose Imbalance: Diabetes disrupts the body’s healing mechanism. Diabetes-related blood glucose imbalances basically choke and impede the activity of white blood cells. In the absence of white blood cells to fight germs, an infection can quickly multiply and cause further complications.
- Blood Flow Restriction: Diabetes also restricts the blood flow in the body, especially to the lower limbs. It makes the foot and ankle wound prone to severe infections. Red blood cells require robust circulation to carry oxygen and nutrients to the wound for it to heal.
- Damaged Nerves: Diabetes leads to severe damage to the spread-out and interconnected system of nerves. As a result, you may be unable to feel or detect the infected, slow-healing lesion on your body. In fact, over half of diabetic patients with diabetic foot ulcers are hospitalized due to severe nerve damage.
- Infections: One of the main reasons for limb amputation in the US is complications due to diabetes. Diabetes impairs the body’s natural healing systems and offers an ideal environment for infections to flourish.
Some Tips for diabetics
- Keep a healthy diet to maintain blood sugar levels. Diabetes patients may typically improve their blood sugar management by eliminating starchy foods, sweets, and highly processed food from their diet.
- Maintain an active lifestyle. Your body is meant to move around. Do not deprive it of its natural function, and exercise daily.
- Smoking is a slow poison for a person with diabetes. Quit smoking today!
- Comprehensive foot care.
When a diabetic person suffers an injury that takes longer than usual to heal or if an infection appears to have formed, it can prove to be life-threatening even before you know it. In such scenarios, people with diabetes should consult a doctor right away. The foot experts at Desert Podiatric Medical Specialists in the Tucson, Oro Valley, and Green Valley areas of Pima County, Arizona, have unparalleled experience treating all aspects of foot and ankle care. If you have any questions or want to make an appointment, please call (520) 575-0800.
