Charcot Foot & Nerve Damage

Nerve damage to the extremities can be caused by a variety of conditions including bone marrow diseases, autoimmune irregularities, and diabetes. Some patients who lose any sense of feeling in their feet can go on to develop severely deteriorated joints in the ankles. The patient continues to walk on their deteriorating ankle joints for a long time without realizing that the joint is actually collapsing under the pressure completely changing the shape of the foot and causing dreadful complications including disability and amputation.

Treatment of Charcot foot will depend upon the severity of the injury and may include:

●Immobilization—A severe case of this disease will require complete immobilization of the foot with a boot or cast. All weight must be removed from the joint by using crutches or a wheelchair for many months while the bones heal.

●Shoe fitting—To prevent a recurrence, after the healing process has occurred you will need special shoes with the correct support and orthotic inserts which will help to avoid any ulcerations from occurring. Foot ulcers can lead to amputations and must be controlled.

●Avoiding foot stress—Going forward, sufferers of this disease will need to be especially vigilant to avoid excessive stress on the feet and ankles to prevent further complications.

If these conservative measures are inadequate, surgery may be required. At Fit Feet for Life, our team of board-certified podiatrists has access to advanced technologies and years of experience to help diagnose and treat a variety of foot and ankle problems, including heel pain, sports injuries, toe deformities, nail fungus, and plantar warts.  Bonnie Sanchez, DPM, and Gregory Cook, DPM, provide high quality foot and ankle care to patients in the Tampa/St. Petersburg area at our five offices conveniently located in Sun City Center, Clearwater, St. Petersburg, and our two Tampa locations. Please contact us for more information or to schedule an appointment.