Diabetic Foot Care on World Diabetes Day

When diagnosed with diabetes, diabetic foot care becomes crucial in avoiding serious complications.

According to the American Diabetes Association, over 60 percent of non-traumatic lower-limb amputations occur worldwide due to diabetes. Once neuropathy (loss of feeling) begins, the ability for diabetics to detect open sores, ulcers, cuts, and bruises on the feet decreases. Without the proper preventative treatment, neglected wounds can lead to infection, and therefore, amputation. That’s why it’s ever so crucial for diabetics to visit their local podiatrist regularly for diabetic foot care.

What’s diabetes, though?

Diabetes is an illness inhibiting the body’s ability to produce insulin, a hormone integral to converting sugars, starches, and other foods into energy. There are two forms of the disease: type 1 and 2. Type 1 diabetes (previously known as “juvenile diabetes”) is a total depletion of insulin, where the body produces none at all, mostly prevalent in children and young adults. With type 2 diabetes, the body still produces insulin but doesn’t apply it efficiently, causing high blood sugar or “hyperglycemia.”

For those with diabetes, here are some warning signs it’s affecting your feet.

The Symptoms:

• Your skin color changes.
• You have numbness or tingling in the toes or feet.
• There are dry cracks in the skin, particularly the heel.
• There’s the presence of ingrown and fungal toenails.
• Your foot or ankle appears swollen.
  You’re experiencing pain in your legs.
• The open sores on your feet aren’t healing at a healthy speed. With diabetes comes poor circulation, obstructing wounds from repairing quickly.

If you’re diabetic and experiencing any of these symptoms, please contact us today to schedule an appointment.

There are ways, though, you can prevent a disastrous future that limits your active lifestyle.

There isn’t a cure for diabetes, but modern medicine has deciphered ways to manage the illness along with daily living. A key part of this healthy strategy is diabetic foot care.

Here’s what you can do:

• Examine your feet and toes daily for cuts, sores, bruises, or alterations in the toenail, such as discoloration or thickening.
• Exercise, as it can improve circulation for healthy healing and keep weight off.
• Don’t walk anywhere without wearing shoes, even in your own house. By going barefoot, you risk the possibility of an injury that can lead to infection.
• Dress in thick, soft socks without seams. Seams can scratch your foot and cause injuries, such as cuts and blisters.
• Don’t ever remove calluses, warts, or corns by yourself, especially with over-the-counter products. These can burn the skin, initiating irreparable damage to the foot.
• Most importantly: Visit your podiatrist in Prescott AZ at least twice a year to confirm you’re feet are on the right track.

Don’t wait until it’s too late to start a conversation about your diabetic foot care routine. Remember, adults aren’t our only patients; we help children with diabetes, too. A child is just as susceptible to the previously mentioned foot conditions.

Call us today to find out how we can best serve you or your child’s diabetic foot care needs.

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