It cannot be emphasized enough just how critical proper foot care is to the overall management of diabetes. While not limited to, this is especially true for persons who have been diagnosed with diabetes for over five years and are insulin dependent. In Part 2 we'll look at other guidelines for diabetic foot care:
5. Poor circulation: Poor circulation in the feet can be helped by elevating your feet when you're sitting. Further assist the circulation process by rotating your feet and wiggling your toes for about five minutes several times each day. Remember that good circulation causes the body to heal faster if there is any injury, and also helps to avoid injury.
6. Corns and Calluses: If you have corns and calluses, be careful how you treat them. Some persons recommend a pumice stone to smooth corns and calluses, but NEVER use a razor to cut or remove them. I would recommend that the best way to know what the correct method is would be to check with your doctor or podiatrist. Any attempts on your part to file down or shave these hard areas of the feet could be dangerous without proper medical advice. This is the body's way of protecting the feet so the cause should also be addressed.
7. Examine Your Feet Daily: Check your feet at the end of every day. Cuts or bruises could arise during the day and go unnoticed, especially if you have low sensitivity or very little feeling in your feet. As part of diabetic foot care it's important to check the soles of your feet. If you are unable to check them personally, ask someone else in the home to do so for you. If there's no one else, use a mirror. An important note is that if cuts, blisters or sores do not appear to be improving within 24 hours, call your doctor immediately. Do not administer home remedies or over-the-counter treatment!
8. Professional Examination of Your Feet: You should have your feet professionally checked for sensitivity and signs of any other early problems. Depending on the level of your diabetes, it would be a good idea to have this check done each time you visit your doctor but at least when you do your A1c test - your quarterly blood glucose test.
9. Caring for Toenails: A Podiatrist is the ideal and most suited professional to cut your toenails. However, if that's not possible a professional pedicure can be done but it would be in your best interest to bring your own tools to the nail salon to minimize the risk of infections. If you're able to, you can trim your toenails straight across and buff them to make sure there are no rough edges. Avoid 'rounding' the nails as this contributes to ingrown nails, which in turn could create problems and increase your risk of infection.
10. Protect Your Feet from Extreme Temperatures: You should never walk inside or outside without shoes, but you would also want to ensure that you do not walk on a hot pavement without shoes. During the winter you especially want to protect your feet from frostbite by wearing warm shoes and boots. Keep your feet warm, even in bed, by wearing socks to bed.
The guidelines outlined here as well as in Part 1 may seem to be extreme, but it's important to keep in mind the number of persons who have had amputations because of failure to recognize the signs and symptoms quickly and to seek professional help. By taking these actions seriously you will quite possibly reduce the risk of painful problems later on.
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Another good way to care for your feet is by wearing orthopedic shoes. Orthopedic shoes are made with a wider shank to better accommodate the foot and insoles that are made to better support the foot reducing and redistributing pressure and pressure points. Orthopedidic shoes do a good job reducing alot of the discomfort caused by various foot ailments.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Sara, for visiting and pointing out the benefit of orthopedic shoes. Very important part of diabetic foot care.
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