Diabetic Foot Care
At Advanced Podiatry Clinics, we frequently treat patients with foot and ankle complications secondary to diabetes. Diabetes affects
many organ systems in your body including nerves, blood vessels, immune
system, musculoskeletal system, and your ability to heal. Due to these reasons, people with diabetes have to take special care of their feet.
Many
people with uncontrolled diabetes develop diabetic peripheral neuropathy,
a condition which causes a gradual loss of sensation in the lower extremities. People simply do not feel if they step
on something sharp, if their shoes are rubbing, or if they develop calluses,ulcers, or infections. These sensory changes are gradual and go unnoticed by most people. Neuropathy also could contribute to deformity of the feet, such as hammer toes, changes in your gait, and dryness of the skin.
Occasionally,
patients may develop tingling, burning, or shooting sensations in their feet, which is known as painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy. These sensations occasionaly become quite painful and may interfere with normal sleep during the night. To help with the diagnosis, Dr. Dukarevich will occasionally order nerve conduction velocity and electromyography studies (NCV/EMG).
For our patients' conveniece, Advanced Podiatry Clinics closely works with NeuroTrans(http://neurotransdiagnostics.com/index.html) to offer our patients on-site nerve conduction testing in our office. Dr. Dukarevich will often prescribe topical over-the-counter, prescription, or compounded creams to relieve the burning, tingling, and shooting pain in the feet. Occasionally, oral medications may be necessary to relieve these painful symptoms.
For our patients' conveniece, Advanced Podiatry Clinics closely works with NeuroTrans(http://neurotransdiagnostics.com/index.html) to offer our patients on-site nerve conduction testing in our office. Dr. Dukarevich will often prescribe topical over-the-counter, prescription, or compounded creams to relieve the burning, tingling, and shooting pain in the feet. Occasionally, oral medications may be necessary to relieve these painful symptoms.
In addition, diabetes contributes to blood vessel disease, called arteriosclerosis. The small arteries that carry the blood from your heart to all organs, including your feet, can narrow and become obstructed. The lack of blood flow makes it very difficult to heal ulcerations on your feet and in severe cases can lead to gangrene. Diabetes also slows down your immune system and makes it difficult for your body to fight infection.
Dr. Dukarevich and Dr. Harb recommend the following simple tips to avoid and prevent foot complications secondary to diabetes.
o Maintain
tight control of your blood sugar by seeing your endocrinologist or primary care doctor on a regular basis. Check your blood sugar regularly and take your medications as prescribed. An exercise regiment, special diet may also help to level your blood sugar.
o Always
use diabetic shoes and inserts, as prescribed by your podiatrist.
o Use
diabetic or white cotton socks and change them daily.
o Do
not walk barefoot.
o Check
your feet daily for any calluses, cracks, corns, rashes, or sores. Don't forget to check in between the toes.
o Check
your feet daily for any redness, swelling, drainage, warmth, or bad smell. These may be a sign of infection and you should contact your podiatrist immediately.
o Check
your shoes for any foreign objects before putting them on every day. Give them
a shake; you will be surprised what you find.
o Check
the temperature of your bath water with your arm or elbow before immersing your
feet.
o Apply
an emollient cream to your feet daily to keep the skin soft and resilient. Do
not apply any lotion in between your toes.
o Do
not attempt to cut or trim your own toe nails or calluses with any sharp objects. Using an emery board for your nails and a pumice stone on a regular basis may help to keep them from getting out control in between your visits. Do not use any
over-the-counter corn removers.
o See you podiatrist on a regular basis for diabetic check-ups, routine foot care, and diabetic shoes.
o Please contact Advanced Podiatry Clinics at (708) 450- 0705 if you have any questions or concerns regarding your feet. We are also on line at www.advpod.com.
References:
References:
Dorresteijn JA, Kriegsman DM, Assendelft WJ, Valk GD.
Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2012 Oct 17;10:
2. Preventative foot care in people with diabetes.
American Diabetic Association
Diabetes Care January 2003 vol. 26 no. suppl 1 s78-s79
This is such an informative piece of writing for the people having diabetes. Appreciate your sharing!
ReplyDeleteDiabetic Foot Care Bethesda
Dear Neha,
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting on our blog. Diabetic shoes do not cure or control diabetes. They do prevent a lot of the pedal complication that often accompany the disease.
I was recently diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes and am watching it very carefully--thankfully I do not have neuropathy problems.please visit: Skin Repair Products and Diabetic Foot Cream
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