According to the CDC, diabetes affects the lives of nearly 30 million people in the United States and another 84 million people have prediabetes. Overall, diabetes impairs the body’s ability to absorb sugar (glucose) from the bloodstream and provide it to the tissue cells that need it for normal activity and health. This results in high levels of glucose remaining in the bloodstream and producing toxins that affect all body organs and systems, especially the circulatory system and the peripheral nerves in the feet and legs.
Ordinary foot problems such as corns, calluses, a cut, or a scratch on a diabetic person’s foot can lead to serious problems. Nerve damage called diabetic neuropathy can cause pain or even loss of feeling in your feet, thus you may not even be aware of an issue until it becomes more serious. If you have diabetes, be sure to examine your feet daily. Early diagnosis can help to prevent diabetic foot problems.
An Annual Review is recommended by a qualified podiatrist to assess your foot health. As skilled professionals in this field, podiatrists use diagnostic tests to assess your sensation, circulation and biomechanical risk factors, and consider the results of these tests within the bigger picture of your overall health.
Your podiatrist will also provide necessary treatment at your appointment, which may involve skin and nail care for corns, calluses, ingrown toenails, or even ulcer care in more severe cases. Information about your foot health can then be passed onto your Primary Care Physician or Specialists where further treatment can be recommended if necessary.
Initially, changes may be minimal such as noticing dryness of the skin around the toes or tingling of the toes at night. Eventually, this may progress to complete numbness along the sole, which makes you unable to detect any cuts or damage to the feet. When you don’t know that damage has occurred, you don’t realize that you need any treatment, and you become vulnerable to infection of an untreated wound.
Reduced circulation (blood flow) to the feet and lower limbs means your tissues receive less oxygen and nutrients. This means that your body’s ability to repair any damage, heal any cuts and fight infection is impaired. This is why diabetes is the leading cause of lower limb amputation, aside from trauma.
Having regular foot care from your podiatrist plays an integral role in the prevention of diabetic foot complications and has been shown to decrease the likelihood of a diabetes-related amputation.
Your podiatrist will also provide necessary treatment at your appointment, which may involve skin and nail care for corns, calluses, ingrown toenails, or even ulcer care in more severe cases. Information about your foot health can then be passed onto your Primary Care Physician or Specialists where further treatment can be recommended if necessary.
Article provided by PodiatryNetwork.com.
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