Charcot's foot happens due to an aggravated small injury which causes severe complications because you are not able to feel the symptoms
Charcot foot is a rare complication of diabetes-related neuropathy that can make injuries or infections extremely serious. If you have diabetes, you may also get nerve damage that makes you lose feeling in your lower legs and feet—making it extremely hard or even impossible to feel anything—including pain.
Experts believe that Charcot's foot mostly happens due to an aggravated small injury or infection, which causes severe complications because you are not able to feel or notice the symptoms. If neglected and not treated in time, Charcot's foot causes the joints to stop working at all, along with the infection becoming much worse or spreading to the rest of your body.
In many severe cases, it can also lead to amputation or life-threatening complications.
What are the different stages of Charcot's foot?
There are four staging systems to classify Charcot foot, which are
Stage 0
Here you may see inflammation of the foot—mostly due to injury—with signs like redness, warmth, and swelling.
Stage 1
This includes unstable joints along with inflammation, reduced bone mineral density, and bone fragments.
Stage 2
While the inflammation subsides to an extent, an X-ray would show the bones to be thick and beginning to fuse with each other.
Stage 3
Inflammation completely goes away, and the joints are not at all stable or without any deformity.
What causes Charcot's foot?
Experts say Charcot foot is linked to peripheral neuropathy—often due to complications with diabetes when the blood sugar levels are not in control. A few other less common causes of peripheral neuropathy include:
- Alcohol use disorder
- Autoimmune conditions like chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy
- Certain medications like chemotherapy
- Injury to the nerve
- Deficiency of vitamin B1
- Being obese or overweight
- Poor blood flow to the feet
- Being a smoker - which contributes to both blood flow and nerve issues
What are the signs and symptoms of Charcot's foot?
A few early symptoms of Charcot's foot include:
- Severe pain in your feet
- Discolouration or redness
- Swelling
- A feeling of heat or warmth
- A few advanced symptoms also include changes in the shape of your foot, including
- Rocker-bottom foot
It happens when the bones in the middle break down and collapse, making the arch of your foot become rounded out.
Toe shape changes
Your toes may begin to curl or curve under, making your toes compensate by gripping like a claw shape to keep you stable.
Ankle shape changes
Your ankle may bend or curve to one side and look noticeably less straight and stable than your other ankle.
Foot ulcers
If Charcot foot causes your foot or ankle to change shape, you might put too much pressure on areas of your foot. This can lead to open ulcers or sores that increase your risk of infections.
