Diabetic Foot Treatment Process & Neuropathy

TREATMENT PROCESS

This is my current treatment process for treating patients with diabetes. This video is a lecture on diabetes and your feet.

Evaluation - Determine if you have any risk factors with your diabetes such as poor blood flow, neuropathy, or calluses.
Diabetic Foot Exam - I recommend doing a yearly diabetic foot exam even if you don't have any problems with your feet to see if there are any changes in your foot health. This exam is sent to your doctor yearly.
Prevention - Evaluation of shoes and circulation with a circulation exam is recommended yearly.

NEUROPATHY TREATMENT PROCESS

Many patients with diabetes also have neuropathy. There are different treatment options for neuropathy including topical creams, medications, or more advanced treatments.

Topical Creams - There are topical creams such as Biofreeze, Capsaicin cream, or other pain-reducing compounded creams.
Medications - Gabapentin, Lyrica, and Cymbalta are oral medications that can be helpful for painful sensations.
Qutenza - Qutenza is a topical medication containing high concentrations of capsaicin, a component found in chili peppers. It is used for the treatment of nerve pain. When applied to the affected area, Qutenza desensitizes the nerves, providing relief from chronic pain.
Advanced Treatments - Some patient may need an in-office exam to evaluate the stage of their neuropathy using a biopsy. Other patients can benefit from laser treatments, and shockwave therapy.
Balance Assistance - Many patients with neuropathy have poor balance and have an increased risk of falls. For these patients balance boots can be helpful when walking to help reduce the risk of falling.

RESOURCES

Diabetic Shoe Information - Here are my shoe recommendations and shoe-related resources for diabetic shoes.
Weight Loss - Here are my resources on weight loss for my patients.
Diabetes Code - This a great book on diabetes and how to reverse diabetes.
Qutenza - Information on topical patches.