Juggling all your different health needs as a diabetic can be overwhelming. Add foot care to your list, and you might feel like throwing in the towel.
We know just how frustrating living with diabetes is, and that’s why our team of experts at US Neuropathy Centers in Marietta, Georgia, is here to take the guesswork out of diabetic foot care.
Here’s what you should know about how diabetes affects your feet and how you can avoid common complications.
It may seem strange that diabetes can affect your feet, but about half of the nearly 34 million adults who have diabetes develop foot problems caused by a condition known as diabetic neuropathy.
Neuropathy is a general term that refers to nerve damage or disease. In diabetic neuropathy, the high level of sugar in your blood damages your nerves. When you have nerve damage, you may not feel a cut or sore on your foot, so it may become infected without you realizing it.
Sometimes, diabetic neuropathy causes your foot muscles to malfunction, which could result in misalignment issues and create problems with weight distribution in your feet. Other foot problems common to diabetics with neuropathy include:
Many of our diabetic patients who have neuropathy also suffer from diabetic ulcers, which are breaks or deep sores in the skin that can become infected easily.
Though there are many ways diabetes can affect your feet, there are also many simple management strategies and lifestyle adjustments you can make to stay the effects of diabetic neuropathy.
The best thing you can do for your feet is to schedule and keep regular appointments with our team. All of our doctors are uniquely trained to identify and treat a wide variety of foot problems and can catch them in their earliest stages.
But between your appointments, there are a few important things you can do to make sure problems don’t develop. Here are some of our best diabetic foot care tips.
Keeping your blood sugar levels under control is now more important than ever and can go a long way in supporting both your overall and foot health.
Smoking restricts blood flow throughout your body, including to your feet, so we encourage you to try to quit or limit your smoking habit.
We don’t mean scrub them down with soap and water at the end of the day. We mean starting and maintaining a diligent foot care routine. Some things to keep in mind when caring for your feet include:
We also recommend that you have professionals who specialize in diabetic foot care — like our team — when addressing your toenails and calluses. Trimming your nails too short or trying to perform bathroom surgery on your calluses could develop into potentially serious problems.
Wearing the right shoes and socks is extremely important for diabetics. Find supportive shoes that protect your feet from injury. Invest in a pair of socks that are specially made for diabetics, with extra cushioning and no restrictive elastic.
Before putting your socks and shoes on, make sure there aren’t any foreign objects in your shoes, and check that your socks are dry and clean.
Do you want more information about diabetic foot care and your treatment options? We’re here to answer all of your questions. Head to our website to request an appointment online or call our friendly staff at our Marietta, Georgia, office.
