Diabetic Foot Care - The Essentials

If you have diabetes, making sure your feet are healthy is a must. This disease causes nerve damage and poor circulation, which means you may lose feeling in your feet. Because of this, foot problems may occur without you even realizing it. Proper diabetic foot care can prevent problems before they start. That’s why it is essential that you visit your podiatrist regularly.

Foot Complications

When you have diabetes, there are a number of risk factors that increase your chances of developing foot problems. Damage to the nervous system may result in peripheral neuropathy, which masks foot conditions. You may unknowingly obtain a cut on your foot that can lead to a serious infection and even amputation. In addition, the reduction of sweat secretion and normal oil production may cause drying and cracking, which again can lead to undetected abrasions. Diabetes affects the ability to fight off infection as well, and that can obviously be dangerous. For these reasons, diabetic foot care is of the upmost importance.

Steps In Preventing Foot Problems

While there are many risk factors involved with diabetes, there are also many precautions you can take to avoid foot pain and problems. Make sure you always wear shoes to protect your feet against possible abrasions. You should also check that your shoes fit properly. Ill-fitting shoes can cause blisters, corns, and calluses that can become infected. If you have any foot abnormalities such as bunions, flat feet, or hammertoes, Dr. Raymond A. DiPretoro, Jr.& Dr. Aahba M. Suchak can provide custom orthotics or prescription shoes to protect your foundation from further damage. 

You may not be able to feel if your shoes are harming your feet. That’s why foot self-exams on a daily basis are recommended. Make sure to check your feet every day for small cuts, blisters, or sores so that you can treat them before an infection sets in. Wash with warm water and dry thoroughly, especially between toes where fungus can grow. For dryness you can use lotion, but again, never between the toes.

There are a number of other things you can do to further protect your feet from harm. Keep your toenails trimmed so that they do not inadvertently cause cuts or scrapes, avoid smoking which reduces blood flow to your feet and enhances loss of feeling, wear clean dry socks every day, and refrain from walking barefoot, even on the beach or indoors. This will keep your feet from coming into contact with harmful objects.

It is essential to keep your blood sugar under control and your feet healthy to avoid serious pain and problems. Be sure to maintain a healthy weight by adhering to a nutritional diet and incorporating exercise into your daily routine. Following these prevention techniques, as well as regular visits to our office for diabetic wound care and prevention, can help you avoid infections as well as amputations, and keep your feet happy, healthy, and strong.

Don’t wait until problems occur. Make diabetic foot care your first priority. Call Dr. Raymond A. DiPretoro, Jr. & Dr. Aahba M. Suchak of Advanced Foot & Ankle Center Inc. today at (302) 355-0056. With locations in Wilmington, Glasgow, and Newark, DE, there’s a convenient location near you. 

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