Vascular Testing - A Roadmap of Blood Flow

Blood pressure measurement. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

If you are one of the millions of Americans who suffer from circulatory problems, chances are you have already had some form or vascular testing. A vascular test is a non-invasive procedure used to detect blockages or diseases in the arteries.  It provides the doctor with road map type guidance of the overall health of your circulatory system.

There are several different procedures used that can assist your doctor in determining the location of blockage, and the degree or severity of the blockage. This is a helpful tool for the doctor when a patient must undergo surgery. Different forms of testing include: doppler, photoplethysmograph (PPG), ankle-arm index/ankle-brachial index, toe pressures and angiography.

• Doppler - this test is conducted by placing a probe over the blood vessel being tested and uses sound waves to read the blood flow. How quickly the sound waves bounce back to the probe indicates the level of blockage. The probe is directed at red blood cells. The greater the blockage, the slower the cells are moving through the blood vessel. This is then printed to a machine and used for comparison with normal vessels. This test is painless, and the patient who can benefit from it includes smokers, diabetics, elderly and anyone suffering from circulatory concerns.

• Photoplethysmograph - is a test that works similar to the doppler. However, instead of major blood vessels, it measures the health of tiny blood vessels by directing the probe at the tips of the toes. This is another non-invasive and painless test.

• Ankle-Arm/Ankle-Brachial Index - is a test that measures blood flow toward the foot. This test is done on major vessels, and uses blood pressures taken on each arm and ankle for ratio comparison. Differences indicate impeded blood flow.

• Toe Pressures - are similar to blood pressure tests for the toes. If a large discrepancy exists, it indicates presence of disease or blockage.

• Angiography - is a test that uses injectable dye that is then read by a special machine. When less dye is visible, blockage is indicated. This test is useful in determining the amount and location of blockage.

Any of these tests can be used by Dr. Blaakman to assist him in his evaluation. These tests are especially important if you suffer from diabetes or some other circulatory concerns that involve your feet. If you are facing the possibility of surgery and have questions about the tests, call Dr. Blaakman at (877) 941-3338. He can explain details of these procedures. More information on vascular testing will soon be available on his website.

References:

http://www.footdoc.ca/www.FootDoc.ca/Website%20Vascular%20Testing.htm

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Diabetic Neuropathy - Danger Lurks Behind Every Sensation You Are Not Feeling

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

It can’t be stressed enough - good foot care is vital to your health and overall well-being. Just ask someone who has impeded mobility due to a foot or ankle injury or the athlete who is sidelined. The verdict is in - foot and ankle pain or injury is darn inconvenient to say the least. Those in reasonably good health can usually take precautions and preventive measures and a lot of time just knowing what to do and when to do it can save costly trips to the doctor because it can be treated at home. People who suffer from diabetes, though, are not so lucky. When you have diabetic neuropathy every little condition, and injury becomes a potential hazard to your health.

Diabetic neuropathy is damage to nerves due to blood sugar levels being too high, which is caused by diabetes. Nerve damage will affect about half of all people with diabetes, although symptoms may be slow to appear. Symptoms vary and may affect different parts of the body. One location commonly affected is arms and legs and sensation from tingling to deep pain may be experienced. As damage to the nerves continues, sensation decreases due to poor circulation. This is where the danger really begins. Because of the loss of feeling, you may not feel objects you step on, know you have an open wound or realize you have no concept of heat, and actually burn yourself. An untreated wound may result in an infection and with poor circulation the body’s ability to heal itself is greatly diminished. Neuropathy may also mask other things going on in the body such as the pain that functions as early warning of heart attack.

Every person who has diabetes needs to be seen at least annually, more often if warranted. A thorough foot examination should be done each time you visit your doctor. Dr. Blaakman can help diffuse problems with early detection and he can teach you to be more aware of your own feet.  Conduct a daily foot exam and make it routine.

Call Dr. Blaakman at (877) 941-3338 for a comprehensive foot examination. Make sure you are writing down all your questions about diabetic neuropathy.  Arm yourself for survival with good information and work at controlling your blood sugar.

References:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001713/
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/diabetic-neuropathy/DS01045/DSECTION=symptoms

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Diabetic Shoes

Image via WikipediaDid you know that there are shoes out there that are made specifically for diabetics?  Well there are!  A lot of people with diabetes face neuropathy, which in short, means that their feet are numb, so they can’t feel their feet at all.  This means that they can’t feel when they cut their feet or burn them.  That is why it is especially important for diabetics with neuropathy to pay extra attention to their feet.  What happens is that regular shoes can cause friction and over time, constant friction can cause a cut, which in turn if not treated, will open the cut further, become infected and an ulcer.  If the ulcer is not treated, it will become gangrene and the infection attacks the whole foot and the only treatment can be amputation of the foot.

So in order to protect their feet better, there are specialized shoes that can be made. It’s not just neuropathy that these shoes help with, but they also help with poor circulation and foot deformities.  If you have hammertoes, bunions, flatfeet or other deformities.  The shoes can be formed fitted to keep your feet and in turn the rest of your body in balance.

The shoes prevents foot problems such as foot ulcers, because it lowers the friction and pressure put on the foot.  That in turn prevents infection and amputation, which is what has to occur if an infection goes untreated for long periods of time.  The protection comes from inserts that form to your feet and the use of softer materials so that there is no rubbing that causes friction. 

If you have diabetes, you should check into diabetic shoes, especially if you have neuropathy.  Upstate Footcare can fit you in a pair!  Give us a call at 877-941-FEET (3338) and set up an appointment!  Or check out our website.

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Cold Feet - Could it be More Then Just the Temperature?

Image via WikipediaDo you always have cold feet?  It’s not just women that always have cold feet, men can have them too, and no I’m not talking about “cold feet” before a wedding. But if your feet are constantly cold all the time, it could be from more than the fact that you are just cold.  It could actually be due to the fact that you have a condition that causes poor blood flow to your legs and/or feet.  But what conditions are there that cause this?

Well you could be suffering from Raynaud’s phenomenon, which is a sensitivity to cold temperatures.  What happens is that when you come in contact with cold temperatures, it causes your blood vessels to spasm, thus resulting in poor blood flow.  It could be that you have a heart condition that keeps blood from flowing perfectly throughout your body.  You might actually have a blockage in your arteries, which can be very serious because blockages are what cause heart attacks.  This is why, if you have constant cold feet, you need to see a podiatrist to see if the condition is serious or not.  It could be that you are on some type of medication that is actually causing the poor blood flow, like medication for high blood pressure can do.  Even migraine and cold medications can cause cold feet.  So it could be as serious as a blockage in your arteries, or it could be those cold pills you have been taking.

If you constantly have cold feet, you need to get them checked out.  If you do have  a blockage in your arteries and you catch it early, you might save yourself a heart attack, literally.  If you are in need of a podiatrist, Dr. Hans Blaakman would love to be that podiatrist.  He is the owner of Upstate Footcare.  We have two offices, one in Gaffney, SC and one in Duncan, SC.  Check out our website at www.upstatefootcare.com and request an appointment to get your feet checked out asap.

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