A recent study by Thomson Reuters found if diabetic patients visited a podiatrist just once before complications from a diabetic foot ulcer set in, it would result in $3.5 billion in savings for the US health-care system in one year. Podiatrists like Dr. Vimal Reddy are well trained in the diagnosis and treatment of diabetic foot ulcers.  If caught early the disease process does not escalate like it otherwise would if the patient had not seen a podiatrist, equaling fewer health care dollars spent. People with diabetes often lose feeling in their feet, known as neuropathy. As a result, an individual with diabetes is more at risk of injuring their feet without knowing so. For example: You decide to check out the Jacksonville Riverside Art Market on Saturday.  Unfortunately, you have a rock in your shoe and walk all day without knowing the rock is rubbing the same spot over and over again. By the time you get home to kick off your shoes, you discover the rock and a fresh new wound. Unfortunately, people with diabetes heal wounds more slowly, causing the wound to become infected more easily. Sadly, many patients can lose their feet as a result. Podiatrists are at the forefront in preventing these disasters, and the physical, emotional and financial savings are substantial. This is an EXTREMELY big deal and here’s why:

• As a nation, we are already in a cost-cutting mode
• Finding ways to trim health care expenditures is important, and podiatrists can help
• Jacksonville lies just outside the Diabetes Belt, and podiatrists like Dr. Reddy have an important role locally.

If you have diabetes, you have everything to gain from forming a good relationship with a podiatrist. So stop over to the First Coast Foot and Ankle Clinic near St. Luke’s Hospital, and learn how you can save both your feet and your money!