Tips for Foot Care If You Are a Diabetic
Diabetes is a metabolic condition that can affect different areas of your body, even when your blood sugar treatment is successful. One area that most people don’t think about is the foot. As a diabetic, taking care of your feet is paramount to your overall health and well-being.
People with diabetes can develop many different foot problems. Even ordinary problems can get worse and lead to serious complications. Foot problems most often happen when there is nerve damage, also called neuropathy, which results in loss of feeling in your feet. Poor blood flow or changes in the shape of your feet or toes may also cause problems
Keep Your Hard Working Feet Healthy
Let’s face it – the feet are the hardest working body parts you have. They hold up all the weight of your body. When we “tiptoe through the tulips,” our feet get stung, stepped on, stubbed, and even cut up by jagged stones and litter. Sometimes our feet take a real beating, but still endure.
Diabetes may affect the feet and go unnoticed. In diabetic patients, wounds take longer to heal. There is the potential for nerve and blood vessel damage in your feet as well as throughout the body. So, one small cut on the bottom of your foot could go undetected. That cut could turn into an unhealed sore that, left unattended, could lead to gangrene. For a diabetic patient, gangrene is the last word they ever want to hear.
Care For Your Hard Working Feet
Now, we turn to a more pleasant aspect of foot care: simple things to do to keep your feet healthy. Your feet work hard. Why shouldn’t they get special care? Use the following tips to keep your feet healthy:
Examine your feet everyday – At the beginning of the day, perhaps after your morning shower, examine all sides of your feet and between your toes for any injuries or suspicious looking spots. Even a slight redness from irritation can turn into a serious concern if you don’t attend to it.
When you have a diabetes, your hard working feet needs an extra care and attention. Diabetes can damage the nerve endings and the blood vessels in your feet, making you less likely to notice when your feet are injured.
Diabetes can also interfere with your body’s ability to fight infection. One way that happens is that high blood sugar levels can deplete essential nutrients such as the mineral zinc. A zinc deficiency can impair your immune system’s ability to fight infections. Ask your doctor to check your blood level of zinc and recommend a good supplement if you are low.
Caring for your feet is easy. Most of the care can be done when you are bathing and getting ready for bed. Preventing injury to your feet is merely a matter of wearing properly fitted shoes and socks at all times.
Wear cotton socks – Cotton is good for wicking moisture away from the feet. Too much moisture can provide a place for bacteria to grow and cause an infection. Damp feet are likely to chafe, and chafing causes irritation which can lead to sores.
Diabetics face two separate challenges where footwear is concerned. Socks should fit well, without being tight at the cuff. Many diabetic socks have extra padding, which can help patients who are at risk of developing ulcers. Lighter colors are preferred because it will not mask the signs of a draining wound or puncture. Diabetic socks are available in a number of different materials. Many doctors recommend cotton socks, while other suggest that the wicking action of acrylic socks make them a better choice.
Wear comfortable shoes – Neither the shoes or the socks you wear need be too tight. That can cut off circulation and lead to problems. If you have problems with arches wear gel supports in your shoes for better comfort. If you have shoes that don’t fit properly, get rid of them. It’s better to find one or two pair that fit well. Go to a good shoe store if you need help getting a comfortable fit.
When you are looking for a good tennis shoe, have your feet measured before browsing and shopping. Try shoes on before buying to ensure they are comfortable. Choose a shoe that provides you with plenty of room to wiggle your toes. The sole of the shoe should be thick and supportive so your feet are protected from surfaces and objects on the ground that can hurt your feet.
Get medical attention for feet problems – It is tempting to self-diagnose and treat simple things like blisters on your feet, but don’t. Pricking a blister to drain it, or peeling off the skin, can introduce infection into your foot. You may end up with an open wound that will have a hard time healing properly. If you notice a blister or something else on your foot, get it taken care of by your health professional.
Contact your doctor if you have a foot sore that doesn’t begin to heal within a few days or other persistent problems with your feet. Your doctor will inspect your foot to make a diagnosis and prescribe the appropriate course of treatment. If necessary, find a good podiatry doctor in your local area and see him/her regularly for this important specialty care.
Eat sensibly – Keeping your blood sugar under control helps your feet. How? Preventing nerve damage is key to keeping your feet healthy. Many people don’t know that they have stepped on something and cut their foot until the injury becomes very serious. This complication, nerve damage, as well as others, can be prevented by keeping your diabetes under control with proper diet.
Foot care is important for everyone, but especially for diabetics. Take care of your feet daily in order to prevent serious problems later down the road.
