Why is Diabetic Foot Care so Important?

Jul 30, 2022

What is something that you associate most with diabetes? If you’re like most, you might think of blood sugar, severe hypoglycemia, and regular insulin delivery. But while diabetes is associated with all of the above, few may realize just how much diabetes can affect the feet and how much foot care for diabetes matters. If you’ve recently been diagnosed and you want to make sure that you’re taking proper care of your health, including your feet, let’s walk through how diabetes can impact your foot health, what you can do about it, and when you might need to seek out the help of a professional like the doctors at Comprehensive Foot and Ankle Centers!

The Dangers That Diabetes Poses to Foot Health

Diabetes is a health condition that’s rarely associated with the feet. The problem? It can cause immense damage to this area of the body, and it’s something you should not overlook moving forward. Diabetes impacts two key areas of foot health: circulation and nerves. 

Diabetes is known to restrict blood flow, especially to the feet. When this happens, feet have a hard time healing from minor cuts and wounds. In some cases, these types of wounds might not even heal at all, which can lead to drastic forms of intervention like an amputation. Secondly, diabetes attacks the nerves. Neuropathy may feel like a tingling or “electrical” sensation for some, but for others, it may feel like complete numbness. Without sensation, you can be more prone to injuries that you won’t feel. Without the proper diabetes foot care, you can then end up causing even more damage over time.

Older lady doing a diabetic foot care check

Why Focus on Diabetic Foot Care? It Keeps Feet Healthy!

When it comes to diabetes foot care, making sure that you’re paying attention to the health of your feet is of the utmost importance. While symptoms may only feel minor in the beginning, the potential for injury increases over time. Should you fail to provide your feet with the proper care, you might lose them altogether!

Why Professional Guidance and Diabetes Foot Care Is So Important

Learning more about foot care for diabetes is an excellent starting point if you want to properly manage your condition and all of the side effects that come with it. It’s important to work with a professional that can give you all the insight into the specifics of your condition and provide you with a comprehensive foot care routine for diabetes that will help you move forward more successfully. Once you have the right advice, it’s just a matter of making sure to tend to your feet every day and reach out for professional medical care if you notice any changes that concern you.

Foot Care for Diabetics: Helpful Tips

With all this in mind, where can you get started if you want to take proper care of your feet? Here are a few helpful tips on foot care for diabetes!

  • Don’t Go Barefoot: The last thing that you want to do when you have diabetes is walking around barefoot. If you lack sensation in your feet, you may very well end up with a wound or even something that punctures your foot and stays there until it becomes infected. Always wear clean and dry socks with fitting shoes or slippers if you plan on walking around.
  • Check Your Feet Every Day: You can never be too careful with diabetes. Always check your feet morning and night to see if there are any wounds or sores that have developed recently. Make sure that you do a comprehensive inspection, using a mirror to see the bottoms of your feet if needed!
  • Use Lotion: Keeping your feet moisturized can prevent them from becoming too dry or even cracking and developing wounds that might not heal. Make sure to use lotion on your feet. That being said, never put a lot of lotion between your toes. Doing so might lead to a fungal infection, which will also be hard to treat!
  • No Handling Would Care By Yourself: There’s a higher risk of infection when you have wounds on your feet because of the lack of circulation. Should you try to care for your wounds or do minor surgery on your own, you might end up doing more harm than good. This can lead to serious infection later on. Reach out to one of our offices when you need help with your diabetic foot care.
Using a mirror to check the bottom of the feet for diabetic foot care

When to See a Podiatrist

Sometimes, foot care for diabetes conducted at home isn’t enough to prevent complications. You might encounter a situation where new symptoms appear or there’s something concerning that you need to get checked out. But when should you reach out to one of our offices? Here are some instances where getting help is the best course of action. 

  • You’re experiencing pain in your feet or your legs and calves (you might feel severe tingling or burning as well). 
  • You have a sudden inability to feel at all, whether that means the floor beneath you or sensations like hot and cold. 
  • There’s a sudden change in the shape of your foot, or you feel your feet and something doesn’t feel like it normally does. 
  • You notice dry, cracked skin or yellow toenails. This can be an indication that you’re currently dealing with a fungal infection, which is something that could be better treated with the help of an expert. 
  • You have open wounds that need to be treated or you recently stepped on something that has lodged itself into your foot. 

Contact Us for Help Today!

If you’re concerned about the health of your feet, you shouldn’t wait until the condition gets worse. Now’s the time to take action. Here at Comprehensive Foot and Ankle Centers, we take your diabetic foot health seriously! With six office locations around the Kansas City Area, we’re always ready to help you navigate pain, new developments in your foot health, and any other concerns you might have. Contact us now to take the next steps in your diabetic foot care journey!