Home>What Is A Charcot Foot? What Is A Charcot Foot?Charcot Foot (Charcot Joint, Charcot Fracture) is a foot condition that affects people with diabetes, as well as those without diabetes. It is a serious condition since the diabetic can lose some of the feeling in their feet due to neuropathy and literally crush their own joints and bones by walking on a damaged foot. The loss of sensation in the foot is a common diabetic complication. Because of this, foot problems such as a Charcot Fracture can go unnoticed. The diabetic keeps walking on the foot and more damage occurs. The Charcot process can lead to collapse of the arch of the foot (flat foot) and there can also be dramatic changes in the shape of the foot. SILENT DISEASE Charcot's disease can be a "silent disease". Pain is often absent. Some of the early signs of joint and bone destruction are unexplained warmth, swelling and redness, which can sometimes be explained away as just being a "sprain". TREATMENT The traditional treatment for Charcot fractures and dislocations has been to apply a cast or brace to immobilize the foot for a lengthy period of time. Surgery is most often ruled out for diabetic patients because of the increased risk. If the foot is extremely unstable applying a cast or a brace might not work well and the person can develop ulcerating sores, infection and, eventually amputation. In some cases the braces actually cause the ulcerating sores to develop. In some cases the bones are fused and the patient is given long term follow-up care. BACKGROUND In 1868 a French neurologist, Charcot, noticed a bizarre pattern of bone destruction in some of his patients. This destruction was occurring with no apparent pain. By 1966 Charcot's disease was reported among diabetic patients, as well as others. Today it is found most often among diabetic patients. Reminder: The information on this website can not take the place of competent medical care.
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