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Archive for March 30th, 2007

More than 18 million Americans have diabetes and 15% of them will develop chronic wounds like foot ulcers .

The ulcers can take weeks to heal and if the infection spreads to the bone, there are serious consequences.

A sore on your foot is a nuisance for anyone but for someone with diabetes they can be especially annoying.

Sores can easily turn into an ulcer and in serious cases, result in amputation.

Now, Baptist Hospital is offering a new approach to healing.

Football fans may know the name Ross Browner.

He lives in Nashville now, but spent a decade in the NFL as defensive end for the Cincinnati Bengals and the Green Bay Packers.
    
12 years ago, doctors diagnosed Browner with diabetes a condition that has now led to a serious foot ulcer.

He said, “My foot just kind of blew up and I was on antibiotics. The foot dried at the bottom, it cracked and got infected.”
    
Diabetic foot ulcers usually start out as a callus or blister but can quickly develop into a serious problem.

Poor blood circulation and elevated blood sugar often limit the body’s ability to repair the injured     tissue.  Decreased sensation in the limbs can alsocause the initial injury to go unnoticed.   

To treat Browner’s ulcer, doctors at Baptist Hospital’s Wound Care Center are using a total contact cast.

Part of the cast is applied with the patient sitting up and the rest is applied with the patient lying down with his/her foot in the air.  It allows fluid to drain away from the foot.    
    
Baptist Dr. Warren Patterson said, “The cast is put on like a cone so a third of the body weight is absorbed by sides of the cast.  This offloads considerable weight.”

The cast fits closely around the foot andleg and has a bar on the bottom to keep weight off the foot when standing.  A soft layer of foam is placed between the ulcer and cast making space so no pressure is put on the sore.

Patients wear casts about eight weeks and doctors change it several times to check the size of the ulcer.

With the help of this cast, doctors said the former football star should be back on his feet in no time.     

Browner said, “It’s really starting to happen now and I’m really glad they have this technique now.  In six weeks or so, I should be out of a cast and able to put on a shoe again.”

Diabetics aren’t the only ones who have foot ulcers.  They can occur in athletes or people with chronic disease.

Doctors advise patients to check their feet for sores regularly.

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