Diabetic Foot Care

Diabetic Foot Care

Many diabetics do not understand the importance of foot care and how it can affect their health. Since diabetic people are quite prone to having problems with their feet, it is vital that they keep a close watch on them on a daily basis.

Diabetes causes a type of painful nerve damage called peripheral neuropathy. Your entire body can be affected by neuropathy, but the feet and legs most often have the worst symptoms. Nerve damage can cause you to lose the feeling in your feet. You cannot easily detect hot and cold, nor can you feel pain as readily as someone who is not diabetic. This is why diabetics get infections so frequently from a simple small cut on the foot. When you are unable to feel the cut, you don’t realize it is there. With no first aid, it can easily become infected.

Another symptom that those with diabetes are known to have is poor circulation. Blood circulation is known to aid the body in the healing process, so when it becomes sluggish, it takes longer for any injury of the feet to heal.. This is you need to inspect your feet each day for any sort of cut or scrape, and make sure you are very careful to keep your toenails trimmed to avoid ingrown toenails. Also, do not attempt to trim any sort of corn or callus from your foot. Leave this job to your health care provider.

Prevention can be the key to good health for diabetics. Make sure you always wear shoes and socks that do not rub or bind your feet in any way. Avoid going barefoot, as it is so easy to injure a bare foot. Watch out for extremes of heat and cold on your feet. Nerve damage may prevent you from accurately gauging the temperature of things that come into contact with your feet.

Guard the blood flow to your feet by taking extra precautions. Use a footstool or something similar to keep them elevated. Do not cross your legs when you sit down, and try to do some simple foot exercises several times a day while you are seated. It is also a good idea to begin an exercise program.

If you are a diabetic, it’s never too late to begin taking care of your feet. Just a few minutes a day can have a big effect on how well your feet will serve you in the future.