How to Save Your Leg from Amputation — Diabetic Foot Treatment

Every year, thousands of people lose their legs simply because they didn't get the right treatment at the right time. Learn how you can save your own or your loved one's leg.

Why Do So Many Amputations Happen?

Diabetic patients often face a chain of events:

• Loss of sensation in feet (neuropathy) — they don't feel injuries
• Small wounds go unnoticed
• Wounds grow, infection sets in
• By the time they see a doctor, gangrene has developed
• Amputation is recommended without a vascular assessment first

In many cases, doctors proceed with amputation without first attempting angioplasty to restore blood flow. This is the wrong approach.

The Right Approach — Try Angioplasty First

International guidelines state that every gangrene case should have a vascular assessment first. If the blocked artery can be opened, angioplasty should be attempted before any amputation. Amputation should only be considered when blood flow absolutely cannot be restored.

Save Your Leg — 5 Essential Steps

1. Inspect your feet daily — including between the toes
2. Any wound that doesn't heal in 2 weeks — see a doctor immediately
3. Keep blood sugar under control — HbA1c below 7
4. Quit smoking — critical for the arteries in your legs
5. Get an ABI test once a year — to check the health of your leg arteries

Even If Gangrene Has Set In — It's Not Too Late

Dr. Rohit Agarwal at Medanta Lucknow regularly sees patients who come after being told elsewhere that amputation is the only option. In many of these cases, angioplasty can still save the leg by restoring blood flow through a tiny pinhole procedure. 180+ limbs have been saved from amputation.