Charcot Foot Support

Peripheral Neuropathy

What you should know about Peripheral Neuropathy

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Peripheral Neuropathy is weakness, numbness and pain from nerve damage. This is most often experienced in the hands and feet. Peripheral Neuropathy can lead to Charcot Foot. Here are 10 things you should know about Peripheral Neuropathy.

  1. The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke estimates more than 20 million people in the United States have some form of Peripheral Neuropathy. The number may be even higher since not all people with symptoms of Neuropathy seek treatment or testing.
  2. Symptoms of Peripheral Neuropathy include numbness, prickling or tingling in your hands or feet, extreme sensitivity to touch, sharp, jabbing or burning pain in the hands and feet.
  3. Peripheral Neuropathy can be caused by a number of factors including, diabetes, chemo-induced neuropathy, auto-immune disease, alcoholism, hereditary conditions and inflammatory infections.
  4. Symptoms of neuropathy can lessen over time but in most cases they do not. If you are diabetic control your blood sugar. High blood sugar can cause nerve damage.
  5. Medications can at times be used to help control the symptoms of Peripheral Neuropathy. Those include the use of pain relievers, some anti-seizure medications, topical treatments and antidepressants.
  6. Good nutrition can help combat the symptoms and progression of Peripheral Neuropathy. Talk with you doctor and nutritionist about developing a healthy eating plan.
  7. Peripheral Neuropathy can cause balance issues as the nerves in your legs are not working properly. Exercise extreme caution when walking to avoid falls or injury.
  8. Between 60 to 70 percent of diabetics have Peripheral Neuropathy. It is incredibly important to keep blood sugar levels in control.
  9. Research has shown exercise can help control symptoms of Peripheral Neuropathy. Consult with your doctor on developing an exercise plan to meet your needs.
  10. Diabetic neuropathy cannot be reversed. However, you can manage symptoms and prevent additional damage by keeping blood sugar levels under control.

If you have signs or symptoms of Peripheral Neuropathy contact your physician.

What is Charcot Foot?

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Charcot Foot is a serious condition. It can lead to deformity, disability and amputation. The earlier Charcot Foot is diagnosed and treated the better outcomes a patient will experience. Charcot Foot cannot be cured and damage caused by Charcot Foot cannot be reversed.

Charcot Foot Acute Stage

Charcot Foot is often “staged” by physicians using three stages.  When in an “acute stage” a patient will likely experience significant swelling, the foot will be warm to the touch and will likely be red. Frequently, misdiagnosis occurs during the acute stage as the symptoms are mistaken for signs of infection. During the acute stage, significant damage can be done to the bone structure of the foot. If x-rays are done during this stage they will likely show fractures and dislocations.

Charcot Foot Subacute Stage

The second stage, known as the “subacute stage”, is characterized by healing. Patients will begin to see a decrease in swelling, redness will subside and the temperature of the foot will begin to return to normal. During this period the bones can still be damaged so it is important to remain non-weight bearing.

Charcot Foot Chronic Stage

Stage three is known as the cool phase or the “chronic stage”. During this period the foot should have minimal swelling, no redness and be of normal temperature. X-rays performed during this stage will show consolidation of the bone. During this stage, patients are considered stable. The foot is not worsening in condition but will not improve. It is important to remember each stage can occur more than once and can occur at varying times in either foot.

When first diagnosed with Charcot Foot you most likely headed straight to Google and searched for anything you could find on Charcot Foot. Chances are you came up with a lot of information about Charcot Marie-Tooth and not much information about Charcot Foot. The two conditions are often confused, so let me be clear, Charcot Foot and Charcot Marie-Tooth are two very different conditions. Charcot Marie-Tooth is an inherited neurological disorder while Charcot Foot is a condition causing weakening of the bones in the foot.