If you're diabetic, you probably already know that you need to take good care of your feet, but you may not necessarily know how to care for them. It takes more than simply washing your feet in the shower/bath. There are other things to be aware of when it comes to your feet, as well as things to watch out for. Read below for a few care tips to keep your feet healthy.
1. Give Your Feet a Close Inspection
Give your feet a close inspection every single day. Watch for wounds that aren't healing, sores, cracking, and other issues with your feet. If you have any wounds or otherwise that aren't healing or are getting worse, it's important to get to the podiatrist right away for treatment and a diagnosis. If you have open wounds on your feet that you don't pay attention to, they could potentially worsen and get infected, causing a major problem for you as a diabetic, because you may not be able to fight off the infection on your own.
2. Keep Your Feet Dry
Keep your feet dry to prevent the extra moisture from causing infections in the skin. Again, your body may not be able to fight off the infection and could result in a bigger medical problem for you. Pat your feet dry after bathing or swimming, paying close attention to the areas between the toes. Also wear sweat-wicking socks to keep moisture off of your feet.
3. Wear Closed-Toe Shoes
To help protect your feet from injury, always wear closed-toe shoes. Open-toed shoes or flip-flops could leave your feet vulnerable to injury a lot more than closed-toed shoes do. Flip-flops and other types of sandals can also have bacteria on them, which exposes your feet to bacterial infections.
4. Clip Your Nails (or Go to the Podiatrist)
Clip your own nails at home rather than going to a salon to have your toenails pampered and clipped. If you aren't able to clip them yourself, go to the podiatrist for help. As you age, your nails may become thicker and harder to clip yourself. Have the podiatrist help you with this task, as the podiatrist will be careful enough to not clip your nails too short or to cause injury (or infection) to your feet.
If you notice anything different about your feet, such as swelling, redness, or other discoloration, as well as any type of injury on your feet, get to the podiatrist right away for treatment. They can also answer any questions you may have about proper diabetic foot care.
Share30 April 2018
When I developed tendinitis of my foot and ankle, my podiatrist helped me on the road to recovery. An over-use injury from the job caused me considerable pain in my foot and ankle. Ice, elevation, rest, and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory relieved my inflammation of the tendons. My podiatrist also prescribed physical therapy, which helped restore my mobility. Gentle stretching exercises performed during physical therapy seemed to have a positive effect. I was shown how to follow up these exercises at home. After several weeks of following doctor's orders, my podiatrist was happy with the results. The bottom line is if you're suffering from foot pain or injury, you should see a foot specialist as soon as possible because treatment options are available.
