Our Services / Wound Care

What are wounds?

Wounds are injuries involving skin and soft-tissue damage. In podiatry, wounds are most often open sores called ulcers. But wounds can also result from trauma and skin cancer. Wounds the Adler Foot and Ankle team treats include:

Arterial ulcers

Arterial ulcers develop when blood flow to the legs and feet is insufficient. This is often because of peripheral artery disease (PAD). PAD results from excess cholesterol buildup in the arteries, causing them to narrow and stiffen.

Venous ulcers

Venous ulcers result from chronic venous insufficiency (CVI). When you have CVI, blood doesn’t correctly flow back up your legs, pooling in the tissues and often causing varicose veins. Fluid builds up, and the tissues break down, forming ulcers.

Lymphatic ulcers

Lymphedema causes soft-tissue swelling and fluid buildup. Ulcers resulting from lymphedema are less common than venous ulcers but are often especially challenging to treat.

Diabetic ulcers

Diabetes causes nerve damage (diabetic peripheral neuropathy) and reduces blood flow. These problems often lead to ulcer formation from foot and ankle injuries that don’t heal.

Skin cancers

Skin cancers include squamous cell and basal cell carcinomas and melanoma.

Traumatic injuries

Trauma can cause crush injuries, incisions, punctures, and other wounds.

Why do I need wound care?

Expert wound care is necessary to prevent infections and help wounds heal. Ulcers, in particular, are very slow to heal and prone to infection. It can take many months, even years, to heal ulcers, and they can deteriorate significantly without treatment.

Some ulcers are so extensive that they penetrate to the patients’ bones, limiting mobility and considerably reducing the quality of life.

If the wound develops gangrene, the tissues die and blacken. The infection spreads up the leg and can be fatal without treatment. Sometimes, people need their feet or lower limbs amputated to save their lives.

Dr. Charlton Adler specializes in wound care and limb salvage (preserving patients’ feet and legs).

What does wound care involve?

Wound care starts with cleaning and debridement. Dr. Adler removes dead and infected tissue from the wound, sometimes using surgery to ensure that he extracts every unhealthy cell. Next, he applies specialized dressings. Common ones include:

• Hydrogel (keeps nondraining wounds moist)
• Alginate (for bleeding/oozing wounds)
• Collagen (to support healing)

You might also need orthotics (medical footwear inserts) and/or diabetic shoes to reduce pressure on ulcerated skin.

Call Adler Foot and Ankle today or book an appointment online for exceptional podiatric wound care.