The Connection Between Poor Circulation and Unhealed Foot Wounds: What You Should Know

We often take our bodies’ amazing healing capabilities for granted, but poor circulation can lead to foot ulcers that don’t heal — and instead lead to serious complications. Learn more here, including how vital it is to get proper treatment.

Most of us go about our days without realizing when we’ve sustained little injuries, from that bruise that pops up on your arm (you have no idea what prompted it), to the shin scrape that probably happened while you were gardening.

We tend to take our body’s amazing healing capabilities for granted, and it seems that just as soon as we notice the injury, it’s gone.

Unfortunately, this doesn’t happen as easily for people who have compromised circulation, like those who are living with diabetes and peripheral artery disease (PAD), a condition where blood flow to your arms and/or legs isn’t enough to keep up with your body’s demands. With these conditions, your arteries become narrowed due to plaque (fatty deposits) buildup.

When a foot wound doesn’t heal, for example, serious complications can occur.

The talented provider team at Pearl Cardio-Vascular of Inland Empire approaches your care with expertise and warmth, so you feel you’re in the best, caring hands. We offer patient-centered care and are committed to partnering with you to support your health and improve your quality of life as much as possible.

The dangers of the foot wound that doesn’t heal

Your blood carries critical healing agents to a wound, including important nutrients, vital oxygen, and more.

Insufficient blood flow not only causes a wound to take twice the time to heal, it can prevent it from ever healing. This is both debilitating and dangerous.

An unhealed foot wound is referred to as an ulcer. Unfortunately, people living with diabetes or PAD are plagued with frequent foot ulcer challenges. The high glucose levels in diabetes cause blood vessel narrowing, while a peripheral artery blockage can be fatal.

Despite treatment, foot ulcers may stubbornly remain, causing pain and putting patients at risk for:

Infection
Necropsy (tissue death)
Amputation
Sepsis, a life-threatening condition where your immune system “turns” on you

In other words, foot wounds that don’t heal can quickly become infected, which can start a potentially deadly trajectory.

That’s why it’s essential to get foot wounds treated if they’re slow to heal. If you live with a condition like diabetes or PAD, you must pay even closer attention. Diabetics need to examine their feet daily for even tiny nicks or abrasions, since these people often live with diabetic neuropathy (numbness), which causes them not to feel injuries when they occur.

People who are coping with diabetes are at a significantly higher risk for PAD, since it makes plaque buildup worse and also puts you at risk for heart disease and stroke. In fact, about 20-30% of people who have diabetes also live with PAD.

Is there help for poor circulation and dangerous foot wounds?

Generally, you should expect to see a foot wound start its healing process within two weeks, and it should be fully healed in six weeks.

If this doesn’t happen and you start to notice worrisome issues, our team at Pearl Cardio-Vascular of Inland Empire offers innovative and effective treatments to hasten healing and protect you from developing serious complications.

Your provider closely and thoroughly evaluates your foot wound and assesses its seriousness when you come to see us. Depending on your condition, they may recommend visiting a wound care specialist, whose expertise is in treating wounds. They may perform debridement, when they remove any tissue that has died.

Skin graft treatment is another option, a surgical procedure that involves transplanting skin from another part of your body to the wound.

We also offer revascularization procedures to stimulate wound healing by restoring blood flow. This, in turn, relieves your wound-related discomfort, saves you from serious complications like amputation, and allows you to get back to your favorite activities again.

If you have any problems related to wounds on your feet healing properly, schedule an appointment with us in Chino or Pomona, California, by calling 909-318-3498, or by using our convenient online booking tool.