Give your feet the care they deserve! - Diabetic Foot Care
When detected with diabetes, there are a number of things to take care of. With so many things going on, we recommend you to follow the following steps to take care of your feet -
Have a thorough look at your feet daily - With nerve damage it becomes difficult to feel cuts, soars, cracks or blisters. Check your feet daily, to identify any such infection. You could even use a magnifying glass or mirror to see the bottom part. Don’t forget to check in between your toes.
Keep them away from hot water - Keep your feet clean, by washing them with lukewarm water and gentle soaps. Extremely hot water and soaking them for a long duration should be avoided. It is imperative to dry them and moisturise them with lotion.
Avoid being barefoot - Not wearing comfortable footwear increases the chances of hurting your feet and developing cracks and cuts. Be it inside or outside, diabetic friendly footwear is a must. It is also important to check that the inside of the shoes are clean and don’t wear shoes without socks.
Be careful while cutting your nails - It is advisable to trim the nails, straight across and not just cut the corners. Gently smoothen the sharp edges to avoid rough cuts. Cutting the nails too short could lead to ingrown nails.
Keep them active - Choosing foot friendly activities, like usually tend to ignore the care that our feet deserve in diabetic condition.
However, it is crucial to understand that diabetes can be dangerous to our feet. Even a small cut can lead to serious consequences. According to a study, about 50% of the diabetes patients suffer from nerve damage in their feet. This can lead to feeling of numbness, due to which if your feet get hurt, they will take more time to recover. Even a small blister could turn into something big, due to nerve damage and loss of blood flow. Such unhealed infections have the capability to put you at the risk of amputation.
With all the warnings in place, let us understand how a diabetic patient can take care of their feet-
Walking, jogging etc, keeps the blood circulation active. This prevents the feet from getting numb at regular intervals. Keeping the feet up while sitting and moving the toes and ankle at regular intervals, also avoids the numb sensation.
Our feet are usually the last thing that we ever think of, even though they deserve utmost attention. Being vigilant and careful, could avoid such complications at early stages. Apart from the above steps, it is also imperative to keep the blood sugar level under check and track it regularly.
Every one detected with diabetes should get their feet checked at least twice a year by the designated doctor. This will help detect the problem early and prevent the development of foot ulcers and blisters. Regular checkups are the right source to provide authentic information and guide you on this journey. If you notice any significant changes in your feet, it is always advisable to schedule an appointment with a doctor at the earliest.
We at KINS Diabetes Speciality Centre have years of expertise in treating patients and helping them lead better lives. Diabetes can often become a tricky problem to control, but with the right guidance, we make you do better at it.
To book a consultation with our doctors, you can visit our website or contact us through the contact details provided.
If you are interested to know more about diabetes, make sure to check our other blogs by clicking here.
References-
https://www.foothealthfacts.org