Diabetes Leg Pain and the New Limb Preservation Track

Diabetes leg pain symposium of this kind is something I am glad to have come across as it will provide us with new connections to the world of Wound Care and Wound Healing, so crucial to diabetic patients. This 22nd annual meeting of wound care specialists from different disciplines met at the Gaylord Texan Hotel and Convention Center back in 2009.

What is important is that at this meeting they added a limb preservation track to address the concerns of vascular surgeons and doctors of podiatric medicine. These are the people who treat the diabetics who have lower extremity wounds and are at risk for amputation.

From Los Angeles' Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Dr. Kazu Suzuki said that about one-third of diabetics suffer from diabetes leg pain and foot wounds and poor circulation. Apparently, these led to over 100,000 leg amputation each year and often these are preventable. How?

When the wound is detected and treated early, amputation could be avoided. That is why it is important to examine feet and legs for sores and wounds as the diabetics may not feel them and not know early enough that they are there. Examining the feet and legs every day should be part of the diabetes care plan.

There are limb preservation efforts through proper care of the wound and revascularization. These could save life and limb and are part of looking after the diabetic patients especially knowing that quality of life deteriorates after amputation. So it is important to know more about diabetes leg pain.

So this meeting addressed the diagnostic tests and treatment to help prolong the lives of the diabetics. It is their aim to raise awareness of the symptoms, care and treatment options for diabetic leg wounds. It will lower the cost of complications because early detection is cheaper than leg amputations which will require hospitalization and rehabilitation.

There will be another meeting on this issue this spring where they are going track the peripheral arterial disease and diabetes mellitus. The discussion will be on such topics as epidemiology, management and assessment of arterial disease from medical to surgical to rehabilitation.

It is my fervent hope that some experts will share what they have discovered at this symposium. You can be sure I will follow this up as I can't wait for new ways and treatment options for the diabetics who suffer so much from their diabetes leg pain.