Diabetic foot ulcers (DFU)
Open wounds on the feet of people with diabetes. One of the most treatable chronic wounds when caught early.
Conditions we treat
Wounds that need a specialist.
If a wound has not started to heal within four to six weeks, it's time to see a wound care specialist. Here are the conditions we treat most often across the Phoenix East Valley.
Generally, a wound that's been open for more than four to six weeks despite standard care. Chronic and complex wounds often involve underlying conditions like diabetes, poor circulation, immobility, or compromised healing after surgery.
Arizona Wound Care Group treats the wound types below across the Phoenix East Valley — in our Mesa outpatient clinic, in patients' homes, and on-site at skilled nursing facilities, assisted living facilities, and hospitals.
If you're not sure which setting is right, our team will help you figure it out — and your primary care physician's referral usually points the way.
When to see us
When to see a wound care specialist
Not every wound needs a specialist. Most heal with standard care, time, and basic dressing changes. Consider a wound care specialist when:
- A wound has been open more than four to six weeks without clear improvement
- The wound is on the foot of a patient with diabetes
- The wound is over a bony prominence on someone with limited mobility
- A surgical wound has reopened, started to drain, or shows signs of infection
- The patient has underlying conditions (diabetes, vascular disease, immune compromise) that affect healing
Talk to your primary care physician about a referral, or contact us directly to ask whether a wound care evaluation is the right next step. If you have signs of severe infection (high fever, spreading redness, confusion), go to the ER.
Conditions we treat
Five wound types, one specialty team.
Pressure injuries (bedsores)
Develop when prolonged pressure restricts blood flow to skin and underlying tissue. All stages, including unstageable.
Venous leg ulcers
Form when leg veins don't return blood efficiently. Slow to heal without compression therapy.
Post-surgical wounds
Surgical wounds that aren't healing on schedule — dehiscence, infection, or delayed closure.
Traumatic wounds
Wounds from injury, falls, or accidents that haven't healed with standard care.
Diabetic foot ulcers (DFU)
Diabetic foot ulcers
Diabetic foot ulcers are open wounds on the feet of people with diabetes, often appearing in spots where pressure and reduced sensation combine. Left untreated, DFUs are a leading cause of lower-limb complications. They're also one of the most treatable chronic wounds when caught early and managed by a wound specialist.
Treatment approach: Wound assessment and vascular evaluation, debridement, offloading (often with a total contact cast or specialized footwear), advanced dressings, and — for qualifying ulcers — Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy and cellular and tissue-based skin substitutes. Proactive prevention is just as important: diabetic foot screenings, custom diabetic shoe fittings, blood sugar management, and patient education about daily foot checks.
Pressure injuries
Pressure injuries (bedsores)
Pressure injuries — sometimes called bedsores or pressure ulcers — develop when prolonged pressure restricts blood flow to the skin and underlying tissue. They're most common over bony prominences (heels, hips, sacrum) and in patients with limited mobility. Pressure injuries are staged 1 through 4 (plus unstageable and deep-tissue), with stages 3 and 4 representing deeper, more complex wounds that often need specialty care.
Treatment approach: Wound assessment and staging, debridement as appropriate, pressure offloading and repositioning, advanced dressings, and care plans coordinated with caregivers or facility staff. Many pressure injuries are treated in the patient's living setting — at home, in a SNF, or in an ALF — which is why our home-based and facility-based tiers matter for this condition.
Venous leg ulcers
Venous leg ulcers
Venous leg ulcers form when venous insufficiency — when leg veins don't return blood efficiently — leads to fluid buildup and tissue breakdown, typically on the lower leg around the ankle. They're often slow to heal because the underlying circulation issue persists alongside the wound.
Treatment approach: Wound assessment with attention to the vascular picture, debridement, compression therapy, advanced dressings, and management of the underlying venous disease. Recurrence is common without ongoing compression — we work on prevention as well as healing.
Post-surgical wounds
Post-surgical wounds
Most surgical wounds heal on schedule. Some don't — they reopen (dehiscence), develop infection, or fail to close. A post-surgical wound that isn't on track is exactly the kind of wound where specialty input matters. We work in coordination with the surgical team and primary care.
Treatment approach: Wound assessment, infection management, debridement when indicated, negative pressure wound therapy for appropriate cases, and coordination with the surgical team. For patients recovering at home, in-home wound care often makes the most sense; for patients still inpatient, we provide hospital-based bedside wound care and consults.
Traumatic wounds
Traumatic wounds
Traumatic wounds — wounds from injury, falls, accidents, or other trauma — usually heal with standard care. When they don't, they fall under the category of non-healing wounds and benefit from specialty management. We see traumatic wounds typically as referrals after initial treatment in an emergency department or urgent care, when healing has stalled.
Treatment approach: Wound assessment, debridement, advanced dressings, and management of any underlying factors (diabetes, vascular disease, immune compromise) that may be slowing healing.
Common questions
Frequently asked questions
When is a wound considered "chronic"?
Generally, a wound that hasn't shown meaningful progress toward healing after four to six weeks of standard care is considered chronic and may benefit from specialty evaluation.
What are the signs a wound is infected?
Increasing redness around the wound, warmth, swelling, increased or discolored drainage, foul odor, increasing pain, or fever can all suggest infection. If you see these signs, contact your provider promptly. Severe symptoms — high fever, spreading redness, confusion — warrant emergency care.
Can chronic wounds heal completely?
Many chronic wounds heal with the right treatment and management of the underlying conditions. Healing depends on the wound type, the patient's overall health, and how well underlying drivers (diabetes, circulation, offloading) are managed. We can give a realistic picture after evaluation.
How do you prevent pressure ulcers in bedridden patients?
Frequent repositioning, pressure-redistribution surfaces, skin assessment on a routine schedule, attention to nutrition and hydration, and prompt treatment of any early-stage skin changes are the cornerstones. In facility and home settings, our team works with caregivers on these prevention strategies.
Do you treat amputation-risk wounds?
We treat complex wounds including diabetic foot ulcers that, untreated, can progress toward serious complications. We don't make outcome promises — but specialty wound care exists precisely because early, specialized intervention matters for these cases.
Not sure if your wound needs a specialist?
Talk to our team — we'll help you figure out the right next step.