If you are suffering from diabetes then you must take care of your health properly. You need to manage a lot of things such as medications, checking your blood sugar, performing proper exercise daily, making appointments with the doctor, and maintaining a healthy diet.
However, it all can be useless if you have forgotten to look after your foot.
Foot care is essential for a diabetic person as nerve damages in the foot is more likely to happen than in other parts of your body. Also, nerve damages can affect your foot’s ability to feel anything. This you won’t even know when you got a cut and it turned into a serious infection. And if it is left untreated you may even need to lose your toe, feet, or leg.
That’s why we have made a list of precautions you can take to prevent serious conditions like an amputation.
1. Wash Your Feet Daily
Keep your feet clean by washing them every day, but use mild soaps and lukewarm water instead of hot water as it can burn your skin.
Make sure you check its temperature with your hand or elbow instead of your feet. Diabetes won’t let your feet make the difference between cold and hot, you might scald your feet which can lead to skin burning.
After washing it, gently pat your skin to make it dry, don’t rub it.
2. Moisturize Your Skin
You can apply lotion to moisturize your feet after cleaning them properly, as it can lead to cracks if left dry. Apply the lotion gently as well and avoid applying it between your toe as it can increase the risk of infection.
3. Inspect Your Feet Every day
Inspecting your feet daily can highly reduce serious risks and make it easier for you to look after your feet.
Make sure to check your toes, soles, heels, between your toe and sides. You can use a mirror to look at the bottom side.
However, if you can’t check your feet by yourself, ask a friend or a family member to do it for you.
Also, look for conditions like:
• Athlete’s foot
• Nail fungus
If you notice any of the above conditions, call your doctor immediately.
4. Keep Your Body Moving
Diabetes can lead to lesser blood flow, that’s why you must keep your body moving and perform exercise that regulates blood circulation.
However, while taking care of your feet you must make sure you do exercises that are suitable for your feet.
Avoid exercises like jumping and leaping, try some feet-friendly exercises like swimming and walking.
Make sure to wear comfortable shoes while performing exercises, do not work out without them, and do not put too much pressure on your feet.
Put your legs up while you are sitting and don’t forget to move them now and then to keep the blood flowing.
5. Be Careful While Trimming Your Nails
Trimming your nails and keeping them clean can also reduce the chances of major injuries. The best time to cut them is after baths, your nails become soft after they come in contact with water, which makes it easier to trim them.
Trim them straight across and make them smooth with a nail file.
Avoid trimming them too short as it can lead to ingrown nails and if you can’t reach your nails, you should ask your podiatrist to do it for you.
Do not use any sharp object to clean your nail, if it accidentally cuts your toe from inside, then it can lead to serious infections.
6. Protect Your Feet
Keep your feet safe by wearing slippers and shoes everywhere you go. It’s recommended to wear them even inside your home, this will help prevent injuries as even small pebbles can also cause injuries to a diabetic person.
Wear socks on your bed and change them every day to avoid infections. You should also check your shoes before wearing them as your feet may not be able to feel anything.
7. Choose the Right Shoes
Protecting your feet can be useless if the problem is in your shoes, that’s why you need to be careful while choosing one. A person with nerve damage should choose shoes that have:
• Bigger space inside them so you don’t face any difficulty while wearing them.
• They should not be tight or it will become hard for you to move your feet.
• Wear new shoes only for an hour until you get comfortable.
• Avoid shoes that cause suffocation, use leather shoes instead.
• Avoid footwear that has pointed toes
• They should be comfortable and soft from inside
• Socks can provide an extra layer of protection between your feet and the shoe, so do not forget them
8. Don’t Remove Corns and Calluses Yourself
In case of nerve damage, corns and calluses are more likely to appear and you shouldn’t try to remove them by yourself.
If you try to shave them, they may lead to infections and ulcers. You shouldn’t use over-the-counter products to remove them either, since they put you at risk of skin burn.
If you notice any corns or calluses on your feet make sure you call your doctor or visit them for the appropriate treatment.
When Should You Visit a Podiatrist?
Whenever you go to an appointment with your Podiatrist, he/she will check your feet properly however if you notice any of the following symptoms, visit your Podiatrist immediately:
• Blackening of your feet.
• Cramps in your thighs, buttocks, or legs during exercises.
• If your feet poorly feel heat and cold.
• Swollen toe or feet.
• Fungus infections.
• Yellow and thick toenails.
• Ingrown toenails.
Also make sure that you visit a good Podiatrist. If you are from Pittsburgh, make sure to check out Diabetic Foot Care in Pittsburgh.
Diabetic foot is a serious condition you shouldn’t ignore, the above tips can help you prevent serious conditions.
To reduce symptoms of diabetes, quit smoking and lower your sugar levels, it will also help you reduce chances of diabetic feet.
Lastly, if you have health concerns related to diabetes you should contact your doctor and ask them about it.