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About Methodist Diabetic Foot and Ankle Institute

At Methodist Diabetic Foot and Ankle Institute (DFAI), our multidisciplinary approach to patient-centered care offers the most up-to-date treatment options with a focus on wound healing and amputation prevention in people with diabetes. When preventive measures have been exhausted, various surgical approaches can be employed to provide each diabetic patient with a functional, biomechanically sound foot that is free of infection, while minimizing the risk of future lower extremity complications.

Methodist Diabetic Foot and Ankle Institute (DFAI) has a team of experts, comprised of a wide range of specialists, such as cardiologists, vascular surgeons, infectious disease and wound care specialists. Together, the team provides patients with a personalized treatment plan that can help significantly reduce amputation risk while maximizing foot health and mobility.

Methodist Diabetic Foot and Ankle Institute logo

San Antonio has one of the highest diabetes-related amputation rates in Texas and the nation. In 2015, the diabetic amputation rate in Bexar County was 11.6 per 10,000 population, while the overall state rate was 8.9.

For people with diabetes, preventing lower extremity amputation is critical, not only for mobility but also for survival. One of the most serious complications of diabetes is poor circulation, and ultimately, loss of sensation in the feet. These issues put patients with diabetes at greater risk for foot ulcers, non-healing wounds, and infections that, left untreated, often result in the loss of lower extremity.

To learn more about our services, or refer a patient, please call Methodist Diabetic Foot and Ankle Institute Patient Care Center at (210) 575-3327.

Diabetic foot and ankle symptoms

While these conditions can happen to anyone, people with diabetes experiencing the following foot problems may be at risk for infection or other serious complications:

  • Burn
  • Calluses or blisters
  • Charcot neuroarthropathy
  • Discoloration of toes
  • Foot and ankle ulcers
  • Foot or ankle deformity
  • Gangrene
  • Ingrown toenails
  • Loss of sensation
  • Non-healing wounds
  • Numbness or tingling
  • Puncture wound
  • Traumatic injuries

With reconstructive foot and ankle surgery, experts at Methodist Diabetic Foot and Ankle Institute (DFAI) can make the corrections necessary to save a patient’s leg, where they might otherwise need an amputation. We are proud to offer the latest wound healing agents in the care of diabetic feet:

  • Allogeneic skin grafting and off-loading
  • Charcot foot and ankle reconstruction
  • External fixation
  • Plastic surgical reconstruction
  • Reconstructive foot and ankle Surgery
  • Treatment of infections and osteomyelitis
  • Ulcer care and wound healing

Comprehensive treatment plans are specialized based on a patient’s unique needs, and include cross-specialty collaboration from our experts in: