Our Experienced Tarrant County Podiatrists Discuss Pain Management Options for Foot Wounds
Your feet are the foundation of your body, and taking care of them is critical for maintaining stability, balance, and overall good health. Feet carry your weight and take you from place to place every day, providing you with the mobility you need to live an active life. If you develop a foot wound, it can jeopardize your physical well-being and ability to enjoy doing what you love most. 
Foot wounds can develop from various types of injuries, including cuts, scrapes, punctures, foot trauma, and shoe friction and irritation. If not properly treated, they can become infected and cause serious complications. The experienced podatrists at Alliance Foot & Ankle Specialists regularly treat and provide pain management to patients in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex who have foot wounds and other types of foot or ankle injuries. Here, our foot doctors share some common options used to treat the pain of foot wounds.
Common Pain Management Options for Foot Wounds
Foot wounds are a common medical problem seen by most podiatrists. Not only can these wounds interfere with your daily activities, they can be extremely painful, and the discomfort can negatively impact your quality of life. Common ways to manage the pain of foot and ankle ulcers and similar wounds include the following:
Wound Care
Foot wounds require proper dressing for them to heal. It’s important that the dressing is changed regularly and be kept in place to avoid allowing bacteria into the wound. Initial care for a foot wound often begins with cleaning the wound, applying antibiotics to control infection, and then dressing the affected area to help reduce discomfort and promote healing. Your foot doctor may also apply a topical analgesic such as lidocaine or capsaicin cream to help reduce localized pain before dressing the wound.
Debridement
If you have a deep foot wound or ulcer that is slow to heal, even after you’ve tried other treatment options, your foot doctor may recommend debridement. Regular debridement involves removing dead tissue and foreign particles from the wound and area around it. Removing necrotic tissue increases blood flow to the site of the wound, which encourages healing. Surgical debridement involves removing diseased tissue, any bacterial growth, and unhealthy wound edges, allowing healthy tissue to grow.
Offloading Devices
Often, a wound worsens because there is constant pressure placed on that area of the foot. Depending on how much you walk, your particular gait, the activities you engage in, and the type of shoes you wear, excessive pressure can create a blister or irritation that becomes an open, painful wound. If the pressure isn’t redirected or eliminated, the wound will likely get worse. It may be beneficial for you to use offloading devices to reduce the pressure. These devices include special footwear, crutches, special braces, or a wheelchair while your wound is healing. Special custom orthotics can relieve pain by redistributing pressure away from the wound site.
Oral Medications
Depending on your level of pain and the severity of the wound, your podiatrist may recommend that you take over-the-counter medication for pain relief, such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen, prescription pain medication, and/or antibiotics.
When Foot Wounds Become Chronic
Foot and ankle wounds often get better and heal with the proper treatment, but some wounds can become severe. In some cases, foot wounds can become chronic and cause pain and the potential for complications for an extended period of time or an ongoing basis.
Foot wounds often fail to heal when a person has a medical condition that causes poor circulation or neuropathy, such as diabetes or peripheral artery disease. Smoking, infection, and incorrect treatment, such as applying the wrong kind of dressing, can also interfere with the healing of foot wounds.
If your foot wound and the associated pain become chronic, it is possible that you may need surgery. However, there are several non-surgical treatments that may help relieve chronic pain caused by foot wounds that won’t heal. If your wound becomes chronic, your podiatrist may recommend non-invasive treatments such as the following:
- MLS Laser Therapy. This treatment uses light to accelerate the body’s natural healing processes and can relieve both acute and chronic pain.
- Extracorporeal Pulse Activation Technology (EPAT). This option uses pressure waves to improve blood circulation and stimulate wound healing, leading to pain relief.
- Neurostimulation. This solution uses mild electrical pulses to prevent pain signals from traveling from your foot to the nerves in your brain that create the feeling of pain.
If lifestyle factors play a role in your chronic foot pain, your foot doctor may encourage you to make changes that can help. For example, if you have diabetes, taking steps to get your blood sugar level under control can help reduce pain caused by chronic food wounds and speed up healing. For smokers, giving up that habit can also help with chronic foot wounds and pain.
Getting the Proper Diagnosis and Treatment
Just as foot wounds are not all alike, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach to healing them or treating the pain they can cause. What is true for many people, however, is that foot wounds can be dangerous. Not only will foot or ankle pain negatively impact your quality of life, but wounds on the feet or ankles can lead to serious complications, such as gangrene or amputation.
If you have a foot wound, you should see a podiatrist right away. Even a minor wound can become dangerous if not diagnosed and treated promptly. When you have a foot wound, it’s best to seek care from a skilled and caring experienced podiatrist who will evaluate your wound in the context of your medical history and provide an individualized plan to treat the wound in a way that will promote healing while also helping to relieve pain.
See Alliance Foot & Ankle Specialists for Pain Relief
If you have a foot wound and live or work near Tarrant County, Texas, we urge you to schedule an appointment with Dr. Richard A. Nichols or Dr. Joseph Garvey at Alliance Foot & Ankle Specialists. They are experienced and empathetic foot doctors who will work closely with you throughout every step of your healing, starting with your initial consultation and continuing through follow-up appointments as needed to monitor your progress. They will also provide guidance and preventative care to help you prevent similar problems from developing in the future.