Also called diabetic osteoarthropathy, Charcot foot is a complication that manifests itself by localized inflammation of the foot or ankle. How to recognize the first symptoms and what treatment to expect? The point with Éric Prou, chiropodist-podiatrist and president of the National Council of the Order of chiropodists-podiatrists.
A diabetic patient may suffer from damage to the peripheral arteries of the feet, which causes neuropathy, in other words a loss of sensitivity in these extremities. Charcot foot is therefore a complication of diabetic foot. “This condition is considered rare, less than 1% of the diabetic population, but specialists believe that it is probably underdiagnosed,” explains Éric Prou, chiropodist and president of the National Council of the Order of Chiropodists.
Indeed, Charcot foot is painless due to neuropathy. It is usually present in patients at grade 2 and 3 podiatric risk. In the majority of cases, this complication is identified from grade 2, because the foot begins to deform significantly until it drifts to a Charcot foot.
The gradation of the foot at risk of ulceration in diabetic patients has four grades. We distinguish:
Charcot’s foot is characterized by localized inflammation with swelling, in other words an increase in the volume of the foot. This extremity then becomes very collapsed (…)
(…) Click here to see more
