Infrared Therapy Blog

Why do diabetic ulcers develop?

In order to know if increased circulation will help with diabetic ulcers, you have to understand why diabetes patients develop ulcers in the first place. A cascade of conditions leads up to diabetic ulcers.

• The diabetes patient’s blood vessels harden and shrink for various reasons that aren’t completely understood yet. Although high blood sugar is thought to be at least one reason. As the smallest blood vessels harden and shrink, they quit carrying as many blood cells and nutrients to the outer edges of the body – the feet and hands.
• The reduced blood flow can cause a condition called peripheral neuropathy. Peripheral neuropathy may start as pins and needles sensations or extreme sensitivity but will eventually lead to severely reduced skin sensations.
• Loss of skin sensation means that the patient may not be aware that they have a cut or a blister on their hand or foot because they don’t feel pain.
• The cut or blister gets infected and still the patient may not be aware of it since there is no “feeling”. And the reduced blood flow reduces the body’s ability to provide infection fighting blood cells or antibiotics to stop the infection.
• The infection spreads beyond the initial wound, causing ulcerated skin.

Does increased circulation help?

So, does increased circulation help with diabetic ulcers? It definitely won’t hurt and probably will help.

• There will be more blood flow and therefore more infection-fighting cells available to help the body to heal the wounds
• Increased circulation may also improve or resolve the loss of sensation, one of the symptoms of peripheral neuropathy
• Increased circulation may prevent diabetic ulcers from occurring in the first place

If the the ulceration has deteriorated to the point that the tissue become gangrenous, increasing circulation will not help. (Gangrene results from tissue death and cannot be improved by increased circulation.) It would be best to use a device that increases circulation before the tissue damage actually occurs.

Click here to read more about light therapy and how it can help increase circulation.