Despite the stage and extent of your diabetes, listed in this blog are many important tips. These should be followed and maintained throughly to ensure utmost safety and to keep your condition from getting worse. If you have diabetes already, you should..
- Wash your feet daily using a mild soap and warm water and dry carefully with a soft towel especially between toes.
- Inspect feet and toes daily for cuts, bruises or changes in toenails such as coloring or thickening.
- Lose weight which can decrease the chances of further complications by nearly half.
- Wear thick, soft socks and try to avoid those with seems or any kinds which could potentially rub and cause blisters or skin problems.
- Stop Smoking
- Cut toenails straight across and if they are too hard to cut and or have grown too much into the corner. Asking your podiatrist for assistance is the safest bet.
- EXERCISE to keep your weight down and improve the blood circulation in your body. No need to get fancy, even 20-30 minutes of walking is considered one of the best exercises for diabetic patients. Make sure to wear proper shoes by asking your podiatrist which kind is the best fit for your foot type.
- Don’t go barefoot, not even in your own home! Always make sure to at least wear slippers.
- Don’t wear high heels, sandals, and shoes with pointed toes as this can put a lot of pressure on certain parts of the foot causing great complications in the future.
- Don’t drink alcohol in excess as alcohol can increase the rate of nerve damage, and can make minor cuts seem unimportant, both of which can lead to problems.
- Don’t wear anything that is too tight around the legs like panty hose, thigh-highs, knee-highs, anything that can cut off circulation to the legs and feet. Men socks which have really tight elastic should also be avoided.
- Never try to remove calluses, warts or corns by yourself or try to use over the counter preparations as they can burn the skin and can cause irreversible damage to the skin and feet. Do not try to cut, shave, trim the calluses because the risk of cutting yourself is too high and such wounds in diabetics can often lead to greater complications. Seeing our podiatric physician for these cases is a must.
Last but not least…SEE YOUR PODIATRIC PHYSICIAN. Regular checkups, annually at the very least, are the best and safest way to ensure that your feet remain healthy and to uncover any subtle changes that an untrained eye might not be able to discover.
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