Foot ulcers

Patient Information Leaflet

Introduction

This guide is for patients who have a foot ulceration and will explain about what treatment you may receive and what you can do to help your wound to heal.

What is foot ulceration?

A foot ulceration is a break down in the skin that may take time to heal and can be caused by any of the following:

• An injury to the foot
• Pressure injuries e.g. ‘bed sores’
• Pressure from callus or corns
• Friction from ill-fitting footwear

What can affect my healing ability?

There are several factors that could affect your healing- sometimes more than one of these can affect you.

For example, if you are diabetic – especially if your blood glucose levels are not controlled, you are at risk of delayed healing.

Other factors that can affect healing include:

• Poor circulation
• Neuropathy (lack of feeling in your feet)
• An infection in the wound
• If you smoke
• If you wear poor footwear
• If you have conditions such as anaemic or have reduced kidney function
• If you take medications that reduce the inflammatory response e.g. Steroids or dampen your immune system e.g. Chemotherapy

What treatment will I receive?

Your podiatrist may ask you questions about your general health to take a history. They will also assess your circulation and the sensation in your feet. This will help us to identify the cause of the wound and help us to formulate a plan to prevent this happening in the future.

They will assess your wound and look at the size and depth and see if there are any signs of infection present. They may perform a swab of your wound to help identify which bacteria are in your wound and help to choose the appropriate antibiotics and dressings. These details will be recorded this so progress can be monitored.

Sometimes it may be necessary to use podiatry tools such as a scalpel to reduce any dead skin from around the wound to help assess its true size, promote healing and help to aid drainage of the wound.

A dressing will be applied to heal promote healing and prevent infection-it is very important that you follow any advice from the podiatrist about keeping your dressing dry and covered. If you are worried about keeping your dressing dry it may help to have a wash down rather than a shower or bath. Alternatively, if you are concerned your podiatrist will be able to source a Limbo Waterproof Protector to enable you to bath/shower and keep your dressing dry.

You may need to wear a special shoe which will help to offload any pressure from your wound or give you room for your dressings that your normal shoes may not be able to provide. The podiatrist will ensure these are a comfortable fit and will give you advice on their wear.

Occasionally, it may be necessary to refer to another service or specialist for further help or shared care. The podiatrist will discuss any possible referrals with you.

It is important that you attend any follow up appointments so that your wound can be cleaned, assessed and redressed and progress monitored.

What if my dressing comes off?

If it is just the tape or bandage holding the dressing in place which has come loose, and the wound is still covered please re-secure the dressing with tape available from most chemists.

If the dressing has come off completely or become wet, please contact the Podiatry department for advice.

What warning signs should I look for?

If you are concerned, seek advice as soon as possible; especially if there is any of the following:

• There is a marked increase in pain from your wound & you are unable to put your foot to the floor
• Oozing from the dressing
• Redness spreading up your foot
• You feel ill or feverish
• The dressing and wound begin to smell
• Your blood glucose levels have spiked (if you are diabetic)

If you suspect an infection, please contact your GP/Out of hours/111

What can I do to help?

• Follow any advice your Podiatrist gives you about your wound and after your wound has healed
• Keep your dressing on and dry
• Wear good fitting shoes
• Rest your feet up when you can
• Stay well hydrated
• Quit smoking-feel free to ask your Podiatrist about where to get help
• Maintain your blood glucose levels if you are diabetic
• Eat a healthy, nutritious and balanced diet
• Check your dressing daily for redness or oozing seek help if you are concerned

If you have any questions, or if there is anything you do not understand, please contact the Russells Hall Hospital switchboard number on 01384 456111 and ask for the relevant department who issued this leaflet.

If you have any feedback on this patient information leaflet please email dgft.patient.information@nhs.net

This leaflet can be made available in large print, audio version and in other languages, please call 0800 073 0510.

Originator: Podiatry . Date originated: March 2019 . Review date: March 2021 . Version: 1 . DGH ref.: