High success rate reported for diabetic Charcot surgery
Nearly four out of five diabetic patients with severe cases of a disabling condition called Charcot foot were able to walk normally again following surgery, a Loyola Medicine study has found.
The study by orthopaedic surgeons Michael Pinzur, MD, and Adam Schiff, MD, is published in Foot & Ankle International, the official journal of the American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society.
The growing number of diabetics, combined with the obesity epidemic, is increasing the incidence of Charcot foot. The condition typically occurs in diabetics who have neuropathy (nerve damage), which impairs the ability to feel foot pain. Charcot foot usually develops following a minor injury, such as a sprain or stress fracture. Because the patient doesn’t feel the injury, he or she continues to walk, making the injury worse. This can cause a deformity, or malposition of the foot, which eventually can lead to ulcers and infections of the bone. … [read more]
What are the stages of Charcot foot?
