Peripheral neuropathy is the damage of the peripheral nerves in your toes and fingertips. The most common cause is diabetes. This condition leads to numbness, pain, and a loss of sensation in the extremities. Dr. Luvish will educate you about diabetic foot care, assist you with choosing proper footwear, prescribe medications to help manage your symptoms, as well as refer you for diagnostic testing if necessary.

Open sores that develop on the foot, called ulcers, are among the most common complications of diabetes. Foot ulcers may form as the result of a minor scrape or cut, an ingrown toenail, or a blister. They can also develop if changes in the shape of the foot lead to uneven distribution of the body’s weight during movement, placing excess stress on one part of the foot.

Without treatment, even a small foot blister can become a large ulcer in a matter of days. People with diabetes also often have lower extremity arterial disease, a condition that reduces blood flow. This can slow the rate at which an ulcer heals.

Dr. Luvish will work with you to come up with the optimal treatment plan to help you heal as quickly as possible and prevent new ulcers from forming. To help a diabetic foot ulcer heal, Dr. Luvish will clean and disinfect the area, and offload it to heal the ulcer. If the ulcer is infected, she may prescribe antibiotics to prevent it from traveling to a bone in the foot. Left untreated, an ulcer can lead to osteomyelitis (infection in the bone) and may result in prolonged hospitalization and amputation of the infected limb.

Certain medical conditions, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and cardiovascular disease increase risk of developing gout, a complex and common form of arthritis that can affect anyone. It’s characterized by sudden, severe attacks of pain, swelling, redness and tenderness in the joints, often the joint at the base of the big toe. Dr. Luvish will help you to manage symptoms and prevent flares.