When you think about your diabetes, you likely think about daily blood sugar numbers and your long-term A1C much more than the health of your feet. As long as you don't have any pain in your feet, it is very easy to ignore them. However, when you are living with diabetes, your feet are always in danger of sores and infections that can potentially lead to life-threatening infections and amputations. Thankfully, there are many actions you can take to prevent these serious medical problems, including each of the following:
Inspect Your Lower Legs and Feet Daily
The longer your body is affected by diabetes, the more problems you will have with reduced blood flow and lack of feeling in your extremities. Both of these things cause problems in their own way and when they exist together can really wreak havoc on your body.
For example, as you have less blood flow to your lower legs and feet, the tissues will often swell up and provide a prime environment for infections to take hold. As you have less feeling in your feet, they can get small blisters and cuts you don't feel. Since you don't feel them, you continue walking and wearing the same shoes, and the sores get infected.
To prevent small cuts and blisters from turning into limb-threatening infections, it's vital you inspect your lower legs and feet each day. By doing so, you can take actions to prevent these small irritations from blowing up into a nasty infection.
Avoid Cheap and Ill-Fitting Footwear
In addition to never going barefoot, people living with diabetes should always avoid wearing ill-fitting or cheap footwear. Shoes that don't fit you well or are made of plastics and other cheap materials will cut your feet and give them blisters. Since these are the things most likely to lead to a limb-threatening infection, you should avoid them altogether. It's vital when you are a diabetic that you wear high-quality, well-fitting footwear.
Develop a Relationship with a Local Podiatrist
Even if you don't have any other foot diseases or disorders, a podiatrist on your medical team is a must when living with diabetes. And, as with other medical providers, it's always best to develop a relationship with a podiatrist before the day arrives when you have a foot emergency and end up in the emergency room. If you aren't already seeing a podiatrist, today is the day to ask your physician for a referral.
Share24 January 2019
When I started working out every day, I encountered a strange problem. My feet always seemed to hurt, and I didn't know what to do. If it wasn't an ingrown toenail, it was a sore arch or a throbbing heel. Instead of writing off the problem as a simple inconvenience, I decided to meet with a podiatrist who could diagnose the issues. As I talked with the professional, I learned that my foot problems probably stemmed from different issues, and he targeted each one with a different treatment. After a few weeks, my feet felt a lot better. This blog is all about how a podiatrist can help you to solve your foot problems.
