If you suffer from diabetes, you may face issues concerning your legs
and feet, two most common complexities of the disease. If you are diabetic, you
may be prone to corns, calluses, bunions, ulcers and blisters and increased blood
sugar means minor alterations and injuries may cause disabling infections.
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Inspect your
feet daily for wounds, cracks, and sores:
Nerve damage is a diabetic complication which makes it difficult to
feel when you are suffering from cracks or sores in your feet. It is important
to place a mirror to have a look under the feet or ask relatives or friends for
assistance if you are unable to see your feet properly.
Never make
use of your feet for testing hot water
When those suffering from diabetes suffer neuropathy or nerve damage, they
may have a hard time telling if the water is hot. They may not realize that
they are burning their skin. Stepping inside a bath before being sure of the temperature
may lead to serious damage to the feet, since blisters and burns can cause
infection. Make use of your elbow for checking the temperature before you get
inside the shower.
Always wear diabetes-friendly
socks and footwear
People suffering from diabetes need to put more attention when shoe
shopping. It is best to look for shoes that offer good coverage of the bottom
and top, more depth in the toe area, and without seams within the shoe. Similarly,
wear socks that have no seams, padded socks made out of cotton.
Never Go
Barefoot, whether you are outside or inside
When you putter around with no shoes inside or outside the house, you
put yourself at risk of scrapes, cuts, and penetration by glass shards, and splinters.
Make sure you wear shoes at all times, no matter what.
Keep the
feet dry for decreasing infection
It is important to dry your feet every time they get wet. The area
between your toes is extremely airtight. Moist skin breaks down, causing
infection. You can prevent this by thoroughly towelling off after washing the
feet and getting sweaty or wet shoes and socks immediately. You may, however, use
moisturizer for preventing cracked or dry skin— just dont use it between the
toes.
See a doctor
on a regular basis for treating foot problems
Even the most harmless calluses may get troublesome if you keep ignoring
them. When you build your diabetes healthcare team, make sure you include a
doctor or podiatrist, instead of going straight to a pharmacy for treatment —
some over the counter products are not good for the skin and may actually enhance
the risk of getting infection even when they treat the callus, bunion, or corn.
Your podiatrist and your healthcare team are the
best sources of help and information if you are looking for ideas for taking good
care of your feet. Also, in case you see any changes to your feet that are concerning,
it is best to see a doctor.
