Diabetic Foot Ulcers

Quick answer

A diabetic foot ulcer is an open sore that forms when skin tissue breaks down and exposes the layers underneath. They show up most often under your big toes and the balls of your feet, and they can reach the bone. Early signs are drainage that stains your sock, swelling, redness or an odor. Pain often is not one of them, because many people with these ulcers cannot feel it. Neglected, an infected ulcer can lead to amputation.

Diabetic foot ulcers are a major complication of poorly controlled diabetes, forming as a result of skin tissue breaking down and exposing the layers underneath. They’re most common under your big toes and the balls of your feet, and they can affect your feet down to the bones.

What are the symptoms?

One of the first signs of a foot ulcer is drainage from your foot that might stain your socks or leak out in your shoe. Unusual swelling, irritation, redness, and odors from one or both feet are also common early symptoms of a foot ulcer.

The most visible sign of a serious foot ulcer is black tissue (called eschar) surrounding the ulcer. This forms because of an absence of healthy blood flow to the area around the ulcer. Partial or complete gangrene, which refers to tissue death due to infections, can appear around the ulcer. In this case, odorous discharge, pain, and numbness can occur.

Signs of foot ulcers are not always obvious. Sometimes, you won’t even show symptoms of ulcers until the ulcer has become infected.

Did you know?

Because many people who develop foot ulcers have lost the ability to feel pain, pain is not a common symptom. All people with diabetes can develop foot ulcers and foot pain, but good foot care can help prevent them.

Treatment for diabetic foot ulcers and foot pain varies depending on their causes. Remember, infected ulcers can result in amputation if neglected.

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A little blonde Russian woman named Natasha asked me to post about her renal procedure. It was done by Dr. Khorsandi at CACVI. They took absolutely amazing care of her and went above and beyond to treat her terribly high blood pressure. They lasered her renal artery. After the procedure it wouldn’t stop bleeding so they ended up staying w her at the center until 9pm. That’s when they finally had to call the ambulance to move her to E.R. All of the staff were incredibly professional and their care was second to none. Dr. Lala promised her that her high blood pressure would go away. It has and now she’s throwing out all her old med’s just like Lala promised. This group of Doctors is like no other. If you have any of these cardiac issues then you’ve found your saving grace. No need to look any further. They were incredibly patient and helpful in every medical way possible. Natasha has found a new way of living. Without her terrible pounding migraines she had on a daily basis. 5 stars all the way. They deserve all the praise possible. They provided a miracle. Thank you Dr’s Lala & Khorsandi.

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Nick Derian

On behalf of my father, a patient of CACVI, I wanted to acknowledge and praise the entire team of this organization for its outstanding surgical expertise and knowledgeable/warm supporting staff. We had gone through countless recommendations that all claimed there was only one last option for treatment, amputation. That news is devastating for anyone to hear, and resulted in my father having little faith that the quality of his life would ever be the same... All that changed the moment we had our first interaction with this organization. The care, knowledge, and most importantly hope that there was still options if we acted fast was single moment that turned this entire nightmare around. Thank you CACVI for being the single most important piece to solving my father's health crisis. Dont think twice, make the appointment and atleast go meet and see them-- for us it was the moment that changed the trajectory of our situation forever for the better.

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Matt Golad

I’m 41 years old, and I have something called May-Thurner’s Syndrome. However, it wasn’t until I saw Dr. Vasim Lala a couple years ago that I was diagnosed with it. May-Thurner’s syndrome is when the main veins that split off into your legs is compressed by the main arteries that split off into your legs. The result is that the blood that should be coming back up through the leg veins pools at your ankles. My whole life until I was diagnosed, I was lethargic. My legs felt heavy. I started to develop purple bruising around my ankles in my twenties. I started to get varicose veins on my calves. I thought this was normal. I was living on “hard mode” and didn’t know it. If I was on my feet for extended periods of time, my legs would swell a lot. I thought maybe I need to lose some weight. When I started teaching a few years ago, I would be on my feet 6-8 hours a day. One day, I got home, and my left leg was so swollen my wife was concerned I had a blood clot. I went to the emergency room, and thankfully it was just superficial. I temporarily went on blood thinners and was recommended to see Dr. Lala. He changed my life. I’d shown my purpling ankles to GP’s. They’d seen my varicose veins. But none if them put all the signs together until I saw Dr. Lala. He diagnosed me with May-Thurner’s syndrome and recommend we put stents in my veins to prevent them from being compressed by the arteries. So we did the surgeries. Out patient procedures. My legs stopped swelling a lot. I started wearing compression socks. I had to be on blood thinners for a year, but eventually I was able to stop taking them which was great. But I still had varicose veins in my legs because they had widened from the blood pooling in them for years. I’ve had two ablations per leg since them, which closes the affected veins, and I’ve got a new lease on life. My legs feel lighter. They don’t swell nearly as much. The varicose veins have disappeared. Now, I’m lighter on my feet. I’m not lethargic. There’s a pep in my step. I have one more ablation each being scheduled. I’m thankful for Dr. Lala and his incredible team at CACVI for their diagnosis and treatment. It truly changed my life.

4 months ago Tarzana Read on Google

PAK SHIP ALL

On August 27, 2025, I had my leg Angio done with Dr. K. who is best of the best. Amazing Doctor and extremely knowledgeable. The nurse who helped me, JULIAN she has a very kind heart. She has a lot of knowledge and made me feel extremely relaxed. She went above and beyond her responsibilities. It seems God made her to be kind and caring for all the patients. I salute her and look forward to having same nurse for procedure in my other leg. I came home with a big Smile. Thank you Thank you Thank you

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Looking for the Best Varicose Vein Doctors Near You?

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Dr. Moinakhtar Lala and Dr. Mehran J. Khorsandi of CACVI

Dr. M Lala, Dr. Mehran J. Khorsandi and Dr. V Lala

Meet Your Specialists

The Center for Advanced Cardiac and Vascular Interventions (CACVI) is led by Dr. M Lala, Dr. Khorsandi, and Dr. V Lala, who have over thirty years of practice with over 15,000 vascular and cardiac procedures performed. Our physicians are determined to provide each patient with experienced, compassionate care as they work diligently to improve your health.