Diabetic Feet Advice

Diabetic Feet needs special care and attention, as they are amongst the major causes of health problems as well as hospitalization as a result of issues of impaired circulation and nerve damage. A Diabetic may suffer from numbness in their lower leg and feet which may lead to minor issues escalate into bigger more serious health problems, like an infection or amputation of a foot or toes.

Since diabetics can't depend on sensations of pain to indicate injury or problems, their feet must be thoroughly examined on a regular basis. Following are some of the various definite kinds of pathology associated with diabetic feet:

Impaired Circulation: Decreased circulation means decreased nutrition to diabetic feet which eventually causes foot ulcerations that may not heal easily and may lead to infection.

Nerve Damage: This often causes the lack of sensation in the feet and sometimes unpleasant sensations such as pain, burning, tingling or coldness can occur. If proper care is not taken, the lack of sensation can make the feet 'rest' in abnormal positions, that may ultimately lead to the disintegration of joints or bones over time.
Foot Ulcers: Ulcers usually develop due to tissue breakdown in diabetic feet, and since they take a lot of time for healing in such kind of patients the feet becomes susceptible to infection.

Calluses and Blisters: Diabetics are easily susceptible to developing calluses and blisters, making the foot vulnerable to infection.

Bone Infection: Though it's a slightly more rare condition compared to others, this is an extremely serious complication which takes place when the tissue breakdown reaches the bone. This can cause secondary bone infection moreover it can also lead to amputation of foot in some cases.

Since diabetic feet are a lot more vulnerable to infection and injury here are some steps that must always be taken in order to minimize the possibility of secondary issues:

- Avoid walking barefoot to prevent cuts and bruises on the foot.
- Make sure to wash the feet everyday and see to it that the water should not be too hot- test its temperature with your hand prior to submerging your feet.
- While trimming nails special care must be taken as infection from even minor wounds can develop easily in diabetic feet.
- Apply heavy cream on the feet so that the skin is resilient and supple and is prevented from the development of cracks due to excessive dryness.
- Keep the feet dry and warm. In case a diabetic is exposed to snow or rain make sure that the feet is properly dried and cautiously warmed. The feet should not be placed directly near a fireplace or on a radiator because extreme heat won't be recognized in case of nerve damage.
- All types of blister, ulcer, and abrasion, change of color in the skin, redness and swelling must be examined by a doctor.
- Don't smoke as smoking further decreases circulation and increases risks related with diabetic feet.

If you want to avoid serious health conditions like amputation and infection, take special care of diabetic feet. The most crucial step is to examine the diabetic feet everyday and it takes only a few minutes each day to protect the health of a patient.