How is trench foot treated?
Cold-weather warfare
Trench foot is a medical condition caused by prolonged exposure of the feet to damp, unsanitary, and cold conditions at temperatures as warm as for as few as 13 hours. Exposure to these environmental conditions causes deterioration and destruction of the capillaries and leads to morbidity of the surrounding flesh. Affected feet may become numb, affected by erythema (turning red) or cyanosis (turning blue) as a result of poor blood supply, and may begin emanating a decaying odour if the early stages of necrosis (tissue death) set in. As the condition worsens, feet may also begin to swell. Advanced trench foot often involves blisters and open sores, which lead to fungal infections. If left untreated, trench foot usually results in gangrene, which may require amputation. If trench foot is treated properly, complete recovery is normal, though it is marked by severe short-term pain when feeling returns. Trench foot affected tens of thousands of soldiers engaged in trench warfare in World War I. Keeping feet warm and dry, or at least changing into warm and dry replacement footgear, is the best way to avoid trench foot.
Daniel Fells
On Monday, October 5, 2015, the Giants announced that Fells had been dealing with a chronic ankle condition, which was later discovered to be a staph infection, a discovery made after he had received a cortisone injection for his ankle injury. Specifically, it was found to be Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), which is resistant to many antibiotics that are used to treat staph infections. He has had six surgeries on his foot. Doctors do not want to amputate his foot, but they are afraid that the MRSA infection may have spread, or may spread, to the bone (osteomyelitis), or even the blood (sepsis), both of which could ultimately be fatal even with good treatment. He had had a 104 degree F temperature upon his arrival at the emergency room on Friday, October 2, 2015, where he had been taken by his wife. Due to the staph infection found in his ankle, he was placed on injured reserve. As of Friday, October 9, 2015, he appeared to possibly be doing somewhat better, as he was moved from the intensive care unit (ICU) to a private room. On July 26, 2016, Fells announced his retirement from the NFL.