Diabetes and Your Feet

Why Does Diabetes Affect Your Feet?

Diabetes is a vascular disease which means that the vascular or circulatory system of the body is affected. The circulatory system is responsible for sending oxygen to the various parts of the body, including the feet. When that is affected, it lowers the blood flow to the feet and hence the amount of oxygen that gets to the feet also decreases. 

Common Foot Problems for Diabetics

• Diabetic neuropathy – Nerve damage to the legs and feet

• Gangrene – Tissue death due to lack of blood flow

• Footulcers – Open sores on the foot

• Charcot’s foot – Changes to the shape of the feet

Danger of Ignoring Diabetes Related Foot Problems

It is rightly said that diabetics have to take good care of their feet. Due to the decrease in blood flow to the feet, the feet could get numb. This means that even if there is an injury to the feet, the person may not be aware of it.

Diabetics are also prone to sores and foot ulcers that occur due to a decrease in blood flow to the extremities. It takes a long time for an infection to subside for a diabetic. Very often, infections like foot sores can fester and become septic and even the area around it can get infected. The infection can also spread very rapidly as the body of a diabetic doesn’t heal quickly.

How to Prevent Diabetes Related Foot Problems

Diabetics have to be very careful with their feet because of the aforementioned reasons. They should ensure that they follow proper foot hygiene. They should make sure that their feet are looked after and any problems that arise are tended to immediately. They should see a podiatrist regularly if they are prone to foot problems and ensure that there is nothing to worry about. Problems like ingrown toe nails, cuts, sores or red spots, corns, calluses and plantar warts should all be treated immediately and the problem nipped in the bud.

Common Foot Problems in Children

What Causes Foot Problems in Children?

There are many reasons why children manifest foot problems. It could be due to a problem faced by the fetus when it was in the uterus. It could occur due to a congenital anomaly. Or, it could be hereditary. Children could be born with an anomaly or it could manifest as soon as they start toddling. 

Some Common Foot Problems in Children

Club Foot – A baby born with this condition will have feet that appear to have been rotated internally at the ankle. The feet could look misshapen. If this is detected at birth, it can be corrected immediately. Sometimes, the problem may not become apparent till the baby starts walking. In that case, special braces and physical therapy would be needed.

Bow Legs – This is the term used when the legs curve outward while walking. When children start toddling, their legs are usually bowed for a while and then they will straighten out. If it doesn’t straighten out when they are older and if it causes pain, treatment may be necessary.

Knock Knees – This is a knee misalignment where the child’s knees scrape against one another as he/she walks. The feet and ankles stay apart. Over time, if it isn’t corrected, it could lead to pain and posture problems.

In-toeing – This is also called pigeon toes. Toddlers could start walking unsteadily, in the beginning, with their toes turned inwards. This usually evens out as the legs lengthen and get stronger. If it doesn’t, it would need to be corrected.

Out-toeing – When the opposite of pigeon toes occurs, the toes are turned outwards when the child starts walking. It should self-correct by the time the child is around six. If it doesn’t, the child will balance the body differently causing posture problems. 

FlatFeet – Flat feet occurs when the arches of the feet don’t develop properly. Usually toddlers don’t have arches and their feet look flat footed when they start walking. But over time, the arch develops and the flat feet disappears. If it doesn’t, treatment should be sought.

When to See A Podiatrist

Most childhood foot problems will self-correct as the child grows. If it doesn’t, it is better to get it checked by a podiatrist. If detected in time, orthotics and physical therapy can be used to rectify the problem and surgery can be avoided.