Diabetes can cause severe complications affecting the feet. They are at risk of infection, foot ulcers, and amputation. Diabetic foot care should be a daily routine to help prevent serious problems.
The first step and perhaps the most important part of daily diabetic foot care is to thoroughly inspect the feet. The diabetic patient should look for any sores and signs of infection like redness or discharge. A diabetic patient may have nerve damage, called diabetic neuropathy, which makes sores and injuries to the feet more difficult to feel.
If a person with diabetes sustains an injury to the foot, the diabetic patient may not feel the injury due to diabetic neuropathy. If the sore goes undetected, it could become infected.
Diabetic patients have a compromised circulatory system which makes it more difficult for their bodies to fight infection. If the sore becomes infected before it is treated, the infection could become severe and cause gangrene. This puts the patient at extremely high risk of amputation.
Any sores on the feet should be promptly reported to the physician. Neglecting to seek medical treatment can lead to serious infection and gangrene which often leads to the need for amputation.
Along with daily inspection, the feet should be cleaned with warm water daily. After the feet are washed, the feet need to be dried thoroughly.
If there is dry skin on the feet, the diabetic patient should apply moisturizer to the dry skin. This can prevent the dry skin from cracking and causing sores that could become infected. Moisturizer or foot lotion should not be applied between the toes.
If there are calluses on the feet, some resources say that the diabetic patient should not use a file while others say it is safe to gently file calluses. Any warts or corns should not be treated with over the counter removers. The safest way to treat any issues of the feet is to consult a physician.
The toenails should never be cut too short as this could lead to ingrown toenails. The sores caused by ingrown toenails could become infected.
The first step and perhaps the most important part of daily diabetic foot care is to thoroughly inspect the feet. The diabetic patient should look for any sores and signs of infection like redness or discharge. A diabetic patient may have nerve damage, called diabetic neuropathy, which makes sores and injuries to the feet more difficult to feel.
If a person with diabetes sustains an injury to the foot, the diabetic patient may not feel the injury due to diabetic neuropathy. If the sore goes undetected, it could become infected.
Diabetic patients have a compromised circulatory system which makes it more difficult for their bodies to fight infection. If the sore becomes infected before it is treated, the infection could become severe and cause gangrene. This puts the patient at extremely high risk of amputation.
Any sores on the feet should be promptly reported to the physician. Neglecting to seek medical treatment can lead to serious infection and gangrene which often leads to the need for amputation.
Along with daily inspection, the feet should be cleaned with warm water daily. After the feet are washed, the feet need to be dried thoroughly.
If there is dry skin on the feet, the diabetic patient should apply moisturizer to the dry skin. This can prevent the dry skin from cracking and causing sores that could become infected. Moisturizer or foot lotion should not be applied between the toes.
If there are calluses on the feet, some resources say that the diabetic patient should not use a file while others say it is safe to gently file calluses. Any warts or corns should not be treated with over the counter removers. The safest way to treat any issues of the feet is to consult a physician.
The toenails should never be cut too short as this could lead to ingrown toenails. The sores caused by ingrown toenails could become infected.
About the Author:
Please pay lots of attention to your foot care if you are having problems. And please seek any podiatrist for help if you have any foot problems. We have a free forum full of podiatrists, that give free foot health advice.
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