For most people, small foot injuries like calluses or blisters are a minor aggravation. They may feel sore, and they certainly don’t make your feet look any better. But these small wounds can grow into devastating problems for people with diabetes.
Several risk factors increase a person with diabetes chances of developing foot problems and diabetic infections in the legs and feet.
Footwear
Nerve damage
Poor circulation
Trauma to the foot
Infections
Smoking
“The average person will unconsciously change the way they walk to minimize that callus forming, because for many people it hurts,” explains Marc House, DPM, a podiatrist at the Podiatry Associates of Indiana, Foot & Ankle Institute in Indianapolis. “With diabetes, you don’t feel it, so you continue to walk on the area.”
Here’s why.
· Diabetes can damage nerves in the feet; so many people with diabetes don’t have normal sensation in their feet.
· Diabetes can lead to narrowed arteries in the legs, causing poor blood flow to the feet.
· Minor wounds may heal poorly and become infected as a result of the reduced blood flow.
· With damage to the nervous system, a person with diabetes may not be able to feel his or her feet properly.
Normal sweat secretion and oil production that lubricates the skin of the foot is impaired. These factors together can lead to abnormal pressure on the skin, bones, and joints of the foot during walking and can lead to breakdown of the skin of the foot. Sores may develop.
· Damage to blood vessels and impairment of the immune system from diabetes make it difficult to heal these wounds. Bacterial infection of the skin, connective tissues, muscles, and bones can then occur. These infections can develop into gangrene. Because of the poor blood flow, Antibiotics cannot get to the site of the infection easily. Often, the only treatment for this is amputation of the foot or leg. If the infection spreads to the bloodstream, this process can be life-threatening.
· People with diabetes must be fully aware of how to prevent foot problems before they occur, to recognize problems early, and to seek the right treatment when problems do occur. Although treatment for diabetic foot problems has improved, prevention – including good control of blood sugar level – remains the best way to prevent diabetic complications.
People with diabetes should learn how to examine their own feet and how to recognize the early signs and symptoms of diabetic foot problems.
They should also learn what is reasonable to manage routine at home foot care, how to recognize when to call the doctor, and how to recognize when a problem has become serious enough to seek emergency treatment.
Diabetic Foot Care Treatment
Foot examination
Inspect your feet daily
Never walk barefoot
Keep them warm
Get a check-up
Use a pumice stone
Wear the right shoes and socks
Control your blood sugar
Don’t smoke
Eliminate obstacles
Toenail trimming
Footwear
Exercise
Smoking
Diabetes control
Having diabetes can cause serious damage to your feet, but that doesn’t mean you’re destined to have foot problems. Just be sure to manage your blood sugar wisely, avoid smoking, wear proper shoes, and have your feet checked regularly by your doctor to prevent long-term complications.
