Posts for tag: Diabetic Foot Care
Diabetes causes a condition of painful nerve damage called peripheral neuropathy. Neuropathy can affect your entire body, but the legs and feet are the body’s most.jpg)
prone areas to serious health problems. Damage to the nerves can cause the loss of feeling in your feet, making it difficult to detect extreme temperatures and pain as easily or readily as someone who does not have diabetes. Understanding the connection between foot care and diabetes is important to avoid more serious health problems. Visit your podiatrist, about the best ways to care for your feet.
prone areas to serious health problems. Damage to the nerves can cause the loss of feeling in your feet, making it difficult to detect extreme temperatures and pain as easily or readily as someone who does not have diabetes. Understanding the connection between foot care and diabetes is important to avoid more serious health problems. Visit your podiatrist, about the best ways to care for your feet. Inspect Your Feet Regularly
If you have diabetes, it’s crucial to examine your feet every day and after every injury, regardless of how minor you may think the injury is. If you notice redness, swelling, persistent pain, numbness, tingling or any other unusual signs on any part of your foot, call your podiatrist immediately, as this could signify serious health problems.
It’s also recommended that people with diabetes see a podiatrist for annual checkups. A professional podiatrist can detect broken skin or ulcers that can be detrimental to the health of your feet and body. They can also check your blood circulation, identify loss of sensation or detect areas of high pressure - all of which require professional medical attention.
Small Foot Problems Can Lead to Bigger Problems
If you have diabetes, even the smallest foot problems can turn into more serious complications. Some of these small complications include:
- Ulcers that don’t heal
- Corns
- Calluses
- Cracked heels
- Hammertoes
- Bunions
- Ingrown toenails
With these complications, you run the risk of developing diabetic peripheral neuropathy, which is a condition that develops slowly and worsens over time, and Charcot foot, which is a condition in which the bones of the foot are weakened enough to fracture. Taking extra precautions and caring for even the smallest injuries with care might just save your foot.
Keep Your Feet Healthy with Proper Foot Hygiene
Everyone needs to practice good foot hygiene daily, but people with diabetes should pay extra attention to keeping their feet clean in order to prevent health problems. If you have diabetes, your podiatrist urges you to:
- Wash your feet daily with lukewarm water and mild soap, making sure to dry them thoroughly, especially between the toes.
- Keep the skin on your feet smooth and soft by applying a non-irritating moisturizer, avoiding the areas between the toes. Doing so can help prevent cracks and sores that lead to infection.
- Avoid ingrown toenails than can get infected by keeping them neatly trimmed straight across.
- Wear clean, dry socks and change them every day.
- Avoid walking barefoot to protect feet from harmful foreign particles.
- Never attempt to remove corns, calluses or other sores from your feet on your own. See your podiatrist for safe and pain-free removal.
Early detection, simple care and regular inspections can go a long way to avoid serious foot complications related to diabetes. Diabetes is serious, especially when it comes to your feet. If you have diabetes, talk with your podiatrist about what you can do now to keep your feet safe, strong and healthy.
Diabetes causes a condition of painful nerve damage called peripheral neuropathy. Neuropathy can affect your entire body, but your legs and feet are parts of your body that are more prone to serious health problems. Damage to the nerves can cause the loss of feeling in your feet, making it difficult to detect extreme temperatures and pain as easily or readily as someone who does not have diabetes.
This is why diabetics get infections so frequently from something as simple as a small cut or blister on the foot. When a person is unable to detect a foot wound, it can easily become infected, leading to more serious complications and even amputation in the most severe cases. With that being said, understanding the connection between foot care and diabetes is important to avoid more serious health problems. If you are diabetic, it is important talk to your podiatrist about the best ways to care for your feet.
What is Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy?
Typically in diabetic peripheral neuropathy of the feet, you will begin to notice sensory changes, such as numbness or tingling in your toes. Initially, these symptoms may come and go, but in time they will be constant. When experiencing these symptoms, they may interfere with your sleep or cause you to awaken from your sleep. Over a period of time, these disturbances may cause a loss of feeling that may even hinder your ability to detect the tightness of your shoes. Even a pebble in your shoe can go unnoticed as time goes on, which can injure your foot.
Neuropathy is the leading cause of ulcers or holes that occur in the feet, as well as infections. Additionally, neuropathy is the leading cause of the loss of toes and even amputation in advanced cases. If nerve compression goes untreated, the nerve itself can become deprived of oxygen and nutrients. This can cause the nerve to die over time, resulting in numb feet. In many patients, surgery can be performed to relieve these various sites of nerve compression in order to relieve the burning, tingling and pain, or even to restore sensation to your feet in some cases.
Prevent Complications of Diabetes
If you have diabetes, it’s crucial to examine your feet every day and after every injury, regardless of how minor you may think the injury is. If you notice redness, swelling, persistent pain, numbness, tingling or any other unusual signs on any part of your foot, call your podiatrist immediately, as this could signify serious health problems.
We also recommend that, if you have diabetes, you should visit us for annual checkups. We work with you to detect signs of changes, broken skin or ulcers that can be detrimental to the health of your feet and body. At our practice we can also check your blood circulation, identify loss of sensation or detect areas of high pressure - all of which require professional medical attention.
Early detection, simple care and regular inspections can go a long way to avoid serious foot complications related to diabetes. Diabetes is serious, especially when it comes to your feet. If you have diabetes, talk with your podiatrist about what you can do now to keep your feet safe, strong and healthy.
People with diabetes are prone to foot problems, often developing from a combination of poor circulation and nerve damage. Damage to the nerves in the legs and feet diminishes skin sensation, making it difficult to detect or notice pain or temperature changes. A minor sore or scrape on your foot may get infected simply because you don't know it is there. A decrease in blood flow makes it difficult for these injuries to heal. And when a wound isn't healing, it's at risk for infection. Left untreated, minor foot injuries can result in ulceration and even amputation.
Foot Care for Diabetics
Simple daily foot care can help prevent serious health problems associated with diabetes.
At Daniel Methuselah, DPM, we recommend the following tips for keeping your feet healthy and preventing foot complications:
- Wash feet daily. Keep feet clean with mild soap and lukewarm water, and dry thoroughly.
- Moisturize. Moisturize daily to keep dry skin from cracking, and avoid putting lotion between your toes as this may cause infection.
- Trim your toenails carefully. Cut straight across, avoiding the corners; visit our office for assistance
- Never treat corns or calluses on your own. Visit your podiatrist for treatment.
- Protect your feet from hot and cold.
- Keep the blood flowing in your feet and legs. Elevate your feet when sitting; don't sit cross-legged; and stay active.
- Inspect your feet every day. Check your feet for cuts, redness, swelling and nail problems. Contact Daniel Methuselah, DPM if you notice anything unusual- even the slightest change.
- Avoid Smoking. Smoking restricts blood flow in the feet
- Wear comfortable, supportive shoes and never walk barefoot
- Visit Daniel Methuselah, DPM for regular exams. Seeing a podiatrist at our Irmo, SC office regularly can help prevent diabetic foot problems.
At Daniel Methuselah, DPM, we understand that living with diabetes can be challenging. Let's discuss simple ways you can reduce your risk of foot injuries. We'll work with you to create a treatment plan that fits your lifestyle and gets you back on your feet so you can enjoy the things you love. Remember to inspect your feet every day. If you detect an injury- no matter how small- come in for an exam right away.