What is a Charcot joint?
If you don’t feel pain, you hand stays in the fire; likewise, if you don’t feel overuse in your joints you won’t let up and will destroy the joint.
Hence: decreased sensation in cases of peripheral neuropathy leads to JOINT DESTRUCTION (mental image: pimple on one butt cheek, sit on the other side or get a bed sore).
An alternative or complimentary theory: micro-vascular disease of DM leads to altered bone metabolism. The main cause of Charoct today is diabetes. Historically, the #1 cause was syphilis (NB: syphilis would tend to support theory of lost sensation as cause, I say, thinking out loud).
Charcot affects the foot mostly, but can be found in other joints.
The presentation may look like cellulitis/infection (which is more likely, also, in patients with diabetes).
There is a vicious cycle: deformity leads to bony prominences leads to ulcers leads to infection leads to more bony deformity.
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