The most important step in keeping a diabetic foot ulcer from getting worse is offloading, taking pressure off the wound, combined with blood sugar management, close provider follow-up and consistent daily wound care. Once an ulcer has formed, the priority shifts from prevention to stopping it from progressing, and the factors around the wound matter as much as what you put on it.
Why can diabetic foot ulcers get worse quickly?
Reduced circulation and sensation, both common with diabetes, mean an ulcer can progress without obvious pain and heal more slowly than a typical wound. Continued pressure on the area, unmanaged blood sugar and infection are the most common reasons an ulcer worsens rather than improves. For the basics of how ulcers form, see diabetic foot ulcer care: what to know.
Why is offloading the most important factor?
Offloading, meaning taking pressure off the wound area, is widely considered one of the most important parts of diabetic foot ulcer care. Continuing to walk on an ulcer without redistributing pressure is one of the most common reasons ulcers fail to improve, regardless of the wound care product used. Options include specialized footwear, total contact casting and other devices a provider recommends; offloading devices explained walks through them.
What else keeps a diabetic foot ulcer from progressing?
Beyond offloading, close follow-up, glucose control, a circulation check and steady daily care all matter.
- Regular provider follow-up. Diabetic foot ulcers should be monitored closely, often weekly, by a healthcare provider or wound care specialist.
- Blood sugar management. Elevated glucose can slow healing and increase infection risk, making glucose control an important part of ulcer care.
- Vascular assessment. Poor circulation can keep a wound from healing regardless of other care, so a provider may assess blood flow to the area.
- Infection monitoring. Watch for increasing redness, warmth, swelling, drainage or odor, and report these promptly.
- Wound-bed care. Keeping the wound bed clean and appropriately moist is widely considered more favorable for healing.
- Consistent daily care. Skipping days of wound care or offloading can let an ulcer regress. Our step-by-step home care guide lays out a typical routine.
What are the signs a foot ulcer is getting worse?
An ulcer that is growing, draining more or changing color needs prompt attention. Contact your provider if you notice:
- Increasing size or depth
- Increasing redness, warmth or swelling
- New or worsening drainage or odor
- Darkening skin around the wound
- Increasing pain, or new pain in a previously painless wound
These can be signs of infection in a diabetic wound, which needs same-day attention in some cases.
How Lavior's Diabetic Wound Hydrogel fits in
Lavior™ Diabetic Wound Hydrogel helps maintain a moist wound environment when used for the indications described on its label. Follow the product instructions and your healthcare professional's wound care plan. Like every Lavior formula, it is built around Inula AGS-RIED, Lavior's proprietary extract of the Mediterranean plant Inula viscosa.
Sources
- Schaper NC, et al. Practical guidelines on the prevention and management of diabetes-related foot disease (IWGDF 2023 update). Diabetes Metab Res Rev. 2024;40(3):e3657. doi:10.1002/dmrr.3657
- Armstrong DG, Boulton AJM, Bus SA. Diabetic foot ulcers and their recurrence. N Engl J Med. 2017;376(24):2367–2375. doi:10.1056/NEJMra1615439
- American Diabetes Association Professional Practice Committee. 12. Retinopathy, neuropathy, and foot care: Standards of Care in Diabetes—2025. Diabetes Care. 2025;48(Suppl 1):S252–S265. doi:10.2337/dc25-S012
