Venous Foot Ulcers: The Importance of Early Expert Wound Care

Slow-healing wounds on your feet can cause complications; that’s especially possible if you have a condition like heart failure or diabetes. Gravity makes blood flow difficult, and since blood flow is essential for healing, venous foot ulcers can be a serious health threat. 

Interventional cardiologist Enrique Hernandez, MD, of Advanced Vascular Cardiac & Veins in Miami, Florida, is the physician you need when foot ulcers become a problem. A specialist in treating foot wounds, Dr. Hernandez can diagnose your problem and suggest an effective management plan. Here’s why that’s important. 

How venous ulcers form

Veins are designed to return blood to your heart and lungs for recharging with oxygen. In the lower legs, that means directing blood upward, against gravity. 

For that purpose, your veins have a series of valves that permit blood to flow only toward the heart, which in the case of your legs means upward. These valves, however, can fail, leading to a condition called chronic venous insufficiency. 

Ulcers develop like this: 

• Vein valves begin to fail, allowing blood to move backward, away from the heart.
• Blood pools and presses on vein walls. 
• Contents of the veins then start to leak into surrounding tissues.
• Healthy tissues become starved for oxygen and die.
• Stasis dermatitis causes skin discoloration and texture changes.
• An ulcer forms as skin breaks down.

Your risk of foot ulcers increases if you’re older or overweight; have previous leg injuries, varicose veins, or deep vein thrombosis (DVT); or lead a sedentary lifestyle. 

The importance of early, expert wound care

Depending on your condition, many treatment options for foot ulcers are available from which  Dr. Hernandez can develop a treatment plan. Early diagnosis helps to assure the best prognosis. 

Early, expert wound care can help you by providing these benefits: 

Speeding recovery

Venous ulcers may be slow or non-healing wounds without treatment, so prompt care can significantly shorten your recovery time when compared with trying to care for your wounds at home. 

Reducing complications

Foot ulcers tend to be progressive, and without expert care can reach the point where amputation is necessary to stop the spread of gangrene. Ulcers also can spread or become infected. 

Avoiding tissue damage

Starting treatment in the early stages of an ulcer gives you a better chance of avoiding permanent tissue damage. 

Reduced recurrence

Care with a wound care expert like Dr. Hernandez can lead to treatment of the underlying causes, reducing the likelihood of the problem recurring. 

Improving quality of life

Venous ulcers can affect your appearance and mobility while adding chronic pain to your days. These need not be a problem with early, expert care at Advanced Vascular Cardiac & Veins. Call or click today to  schedule your appointment at one of our two Miami offices.