November is Diabetes Awareness Month!
We always encourage our patients to do their part for happy, healthy feet. This is even further stressed for our diabetic patients! Diabetes can significantly affect lower extremity health. Sometimes impacts can be devastating and irreversible, like amputation.
We ask that all diabetic patients and their family and friends be involved in ensuring they have proper foot hygiene. Diabetic feet can have nerve damage, skin changes, ulceration, poor circulation, and other problems. Here are some important tips to remember:
- Good glycemic control is key! Without this, you will constantly be fighting an uphill battle from a healing perspective as well as advancement of the many negative side effects that can happen to feet. Work with your primary care physician to determine a diet and exercise plan that works for you.
- Check your feet daily! Always look for any cuts, scrapes, lesions, blisters, swelling, etc. If you can’t easily see the bottom of your feet, use a mirror to evaluate or ask a family member to help.
- Wash your feet daily and make sure you dry well between your toes. Keep your feet well moisturized, except between the toes, and make sure that your feet are always covered.
- It is very important to never go barefoot. Also, don’t expose your feet to any hot or cold environments! If you lost some sensation to your feet, you won’t be able to tell if the environment is beyond what your skin can handle. With winter approaching this means there is a risk of developing frostbite.
Don’t forget, diabetes is the leading cause of non-traumatic lower-limb amputations! For more information about diabetes and how it affects your feet, please visit our website.
At Raleigh Foot & Ankle Center we leave some flexibility and availability for our diabetic patients to schedule same day appointments. Call us at (919) 850-9111 or request an appointment online.
For more information about diabetes and how it affects your feet, please check out the following resources: