Charcot Foot and Diabetes
If your Charcot foot was not diagnosed and treated quickly enough, causing you to suffer a permanent deformity and disability, you could be entitled to pursue a claim for compensation.
For more information on claiming compensation for diabetic Charcot foot, please get in touch with us at Glynns Solicitors.
What is Charcot foot?
Charcot foot is also known as Charcot arthropathy, Charcot-diabetes or diabetic Charcot foot. It is a complication of diabetes in which a bone in the ankle or foot breaks, causing inflammation. If the dislocation or break is not treated in time, it can lead to a severe deformity.
How do you get Charcot foot?
Charcot foot is something which affects people with diabetes, particularly those who have had the condition for a long time. It happens because diabetes can cause peripheral neuropathy and poor blood supply in the feet, both of which are contributing factors towards Charcot foot.
Peripheral neuropathy is when persistently high levels of glucose in the blood damage the nerves in the hands and feet. This means someone with peripheral neuropathy will have reduced sensation in their feet, so will not be aware of any injuries that occur. This includes breaks, dislocations and wounds to the skin (such as blisters and cuts).
Breaks and dislocations will disfigure the bone, but the individual may not realise and continue walking around, thereby exacerbating the injury. Puncture wounds to the skin can also lead to a bone deformity as the cut can become infected. Again, the individual may not be aware of any pain and so will fail to seek medical attention. The infection can then turn gangrenous, which can in turn cause the bone to disintegrate.
The other reason that diabetes can result in Charcot foot is poor blood supply to the feet. This also happens due to persistently high blood sugar levels. Poor blood supply can weaken the bones, making the bones in the feet and ankles much more likely to break. If the individual also has peripheral neuropathy, the injury may go unnoticed.
Symptoms of Charcot arthropathy
Charcot arthropathy will cause the foot to become red and inflamed. The foot will also feel hot to touch. Due to nerve damage there may not be very much pain, despite the fact the patient has a broken bone.
Diagnosing Charcot arthropathy
The process of diagnosing Charcot arthropathy begins by looking at the patient's foot. As mentioned above, it will be swollen, red and hot to touch. If a patient with diabetes presents with these symptoms, an x-ray of the foot should be carried out. The temperature of both feet can also be taken to see if there is a difference between the two.
Treating Charcot foot
If Charcot foot is caught in time, the patient may not need surgery. Instead the foot should be immobilised in a plaster cast and weight kept off the foot. This can be needed for a period of up to three months, although the cast should be changed regularly. Frequent x-rays are also required to ensure the bone is healing. When the foot is strong enough the patient will gradually be able to bear more weight. Specialist shoes or insoles will needed on a permanent basis to support the foot, and to prevent the deformed foot being squashed into normal shoes. This could result in blisters and ulcers, which can become infected.
Conservative treatment can take a long time to complete, and the recovery process for Charcot foot can take up to two years. However, if the bone is not mending, or the deformity is severe, surgery will be needed. Unfortunately if the bone has become very warped an amputation may be required.
What happens if Charcot foot is not treated?
Treatment for Charcot foot is needed immediately. The longer the injury is left, the worse the deformity can become. It may be that the bone becomes so damaged that treatment is ineffective. The patient may then be left with a permanent disability in their foot or ankle which can significantly hinder their mobility. One complication particularly associated with Charcot foot is 'rocker-bottom foot', where the arch of the foot collapses. It then resembles the bottom of a rocking horse, hence the name rocker-bottom foot.
It is also possible that an ulcer will appear over a bony prominence. This is because the misshapen bone is lying closer to the skin, and will rub on footwear or upon movement. Consequently the skin will break down and an open wound will develop. This ulcer will be vulnerable to infection. If an infection does develop, antibiotics will be required as a matter of urgency, or the tissue and bone could become gangrenous. If treatment is not given in time the foot may be so gangrenous that an amputation is needed.
Failure to diagnose and treat Charcot foot
If there is a failure to identify and treat Charcot foot, the consequences can be devastating. As described above, the patient can be left with a deformity that renders them largely immobile. Or the foot may have been amputated, again leaving them with a terrible disability.
If the delay in diagnosis and treatment occurred as a result of medical error, there could be a case of medical negligence. Successful claims might arise due to the failure to:
- Diagnose Charcot foot in a reasonable amount of time
- Treat Charcot foot immediately
- Offer the correct type of treatment
- Monitor the healing of the foot
- Prescribe antibiotics for an infection
- Admit the patient to hospital within 24 hours if antibiotics are ineffective
If you believe your Charcot foot was not properly managed by medical practitioners, you need to speak to a solicitor about a potential claim.
Get in touch
At Glynns Solicitors we specialise in medical negligence claims and can advise whether or not you are entitled to pursue a claim. All our initial enquiries are free of charge, so you can find out if you are eligible to compensation without having to pay anything. To speak to a legal expert, please get in touch with us today.
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