Diabetic Services

Introduction:

There are many patients fighting diabetes today and at JP&O Labs we have a wide range of services that we offer to help you manage your condition. Diabetes affects more than 6% of the US population. Today 60% to 70% of people with diabetes have some degree of peripheral nerve damage. The results of such damage include impaired sensation in the hands and feet.

Prescription Footwear and Custom Fabricated Inserts

In many instances, those affected by diabetes will have the need for prescription footwear. At JP&O Labs we provide diabetic shoes and custom made inserts for patients that have problems with circulation or neuropathy with their feet. Foot problems, among other problems, are a major complication of diabetes. The disease can cause numbness and poor circulation that reduce sensitivity in your feet. This limited sensitivity to pain increases the risk of serious infection. Then, weakened circulation reduces the normal healing process. For diabetics, a foot injury can easily go unnoticed, thus, untreated, until skin ulceration and infection develops, which could then lead to gangrene and amputation. Ulcers, without proper footwear, will recur 80% of the time. With proper footwear, healed ulcers will recur only 20-30% of the time.

Please see your doctor right away if you develop an ulcer. Your physician will select the proper treatment, which may require hospitalization and staying off your feet. Walking on an ulcer can cause it to become larger and penetrate deeper into the foot’s tissues. Analyzing special bacterial cultures of the ulcer will help your doctor choose the proper antibiotic. Major clinics report amputation rates exceeding 50% among diabetic patients admitted for lower-extremity infections.

Once the ulcer has healed, the battle is not over. Scar tissue beneath the healed ulcer tends to break down. Special shoes are required to distribute weight away from the healed area to help prevent recurrence of the ulcer. These shoes—some call them “diabetic shoes”—require the assistance of the ABC Certified Pedorthist (C. Ped.). JP&O’s experienced Board Certified Pedorthists manufacture, fit and modify special shoes and their related foot appliances, prescribed by your doctor, to relieve the painful and disabling foot.

Just remember that you have a greater tendency toward insensitivity. You simply may not be aware of normally painful foot conditions like small cuts, “stone bruises, or ulcers. Neglecting these can result in infections and more serious problems—like amputation.

Amputation

Severe forms of diabetic nerve disease are a major contributing cause of lower extremity amputations. People with diabetes are 15% to 40% more likely to undergo lower-limb amputation than non-diabetics. We offer a wide range of solutions for those that have had partial foot amputations or abnormally shaped feet. We have extensive knowledge and experience in providing comprehensive patient care solutions for management of your foot care if you are suffering from diabetes and end up at some level of amputation.