If you have diabetes, you likely have a healthcare team dedicated to your care. As diabetes has the potential to affect your feet and cause complications if not addressed, foot care is even more crucial if you have diabetes. As such, your healthcare team should include a podiatrist with experience in diabetic foot care.
While your podiatrist plays a key role in maintaining your foot health, there are measures you can take at home and in your daily life to do so yourself. But how do you care for your feet when you have diabetes?
This article explains the links between diabetes and foot health and gives tips on how to care for your feet when you have diabetes. For personalised advice, contact our team at Advanced Family & Sports Podiatry today.
How Are Diabetes and Foot Health Related?
Diabetes may affect your feet in two key ways:
- Poor blood circulation— Diabetes may reduce blood flow to your feet, making it harder for cuts, sores, or blisters to heal. This means that even small injuries have the potential to turn into bigger problems if they’re not addressed quickly.
- Nerve damage (neuropathy)— High blood sugar levels over time may damage the nerves in your feet, potentially leading to a loss of feeling. This means you may not feel pain from those small injuries, giving them more time to develop into more serious infections or ulcers before you notice.
Circulation and Diabetes
Poor circulation is a relatively common issue for people with diabetes. When the arteries that supply blood to your feet become narrow or clogged, wounds may take longer to heal and your risk of infection increases.
Some common causes of poor circulation for people with diabetes include:
- Smoking— Smoking narrows blood vessels and tends to make circulation problems worse.
- High blood glucose levels— High blood sugar levels over long periods often damages blood vessels.
- High blood fat levels— Elevated cholesterol and other fats in the blood may clog arteries, reducing circulation further.
Signs of poor circulation include:
- Pain or cramps in your legs while walking
- Cold feet
- Reddish-blue discolouration in the feet
- Cuts or sores that take a long time to heal
If you have poor blood flow to your feet, your doctor may recommend tips such as:
- Controlling your blood sugar— Keeping your blood glucose levels within your target range may assist in maintaining healthy circulation.
- Exercise regularly— Physical activity like walking may help stimulate blood flow to your feet and keep your muscles strong.
- Quit smoking— If you smoke, the best time to quit is now. This is one of the biggest risk factors for poor circulation, and quitting may significantly improve your blood flow.
- Manage blood fat levels— Keep your cholesterol and other blood fats under control with diet, exercise, and medication if needed.
Nerve Damage and Diabetes
Nerve damage in people with diabetes, or diabetic neuropathy, is a condition that may cause your feet to become numb, tingly, or painful. This makes it easier to not notice minor injuries, and in time and without proper care, these may lead to serious infections.
If you have neuropathy, it’s important to take extra precautions to avoid injuries wherever possible. These include:
- Never going barefoot— Stepping anywhere with bare feet leaves them vulnerable to cuts and scrapes. Even if you’re indoors, always wear footwear to protect your feet and reduce your risk of injury.
- Checking water temperature— Use your elbow to check the temperature of your bath or shower water before stepping in, as nerve damage may make it difficult to tell if the water is too hot.
- Avoiding direct heat— Don’t place your feet too close to heaters or use hot water bottles, as you may not feel it if your skin burns.
How to Care For Your Feet When You Have Diabetes
Reducing your risk for foot problems when you have diabetes involves taking extra care of your feet every day. In an effort to avoid complications, podiatrists recommend:
1. Checking your feet daily
Look for signs like swelling, redness, cuts, blisters, and sores. Pay special attention to the areas between your toes and around your nails. If you have trouble seeing or reaching your feet, ask somebody to check them for you, or use a mirror.
2. Wash and dry your feet properly
Make sure to wash your feet every day using warm water (not too hot) and mild soap. Afterwards, ensure you dry them thoroughly, especially in areas like between the toes where moisture can become trapped. This moisture has the potential to lead to fungal infections, so it’s best to avoid this as best you can.
3. Moisturise your feet
Apply moisturiser in an effort to prevent cracked heels, as cracks may lead to infections. However, don’t apply moisturiser between your toes, as this may encourage fungal growth.
4. Keep your toenails trimmed
Cut your toenails straight across rather than along the curve of your toes, and file the edges as this may help to prevent ingrown toenails. As with checking your feet, if you have trouble doing this on your own, you can ask somebody else, such as your podiatrist, to do this for you.
5. Wear the right shoes
Choose shoes that fit you well and protect your feet. Avoid shoes with open toes or ones that have narrow toe boxes, as these may increase your risk of injury. Ensure there’s enough room to wiggle your feet freely and check inside your shoes for any objects like small pebbles that may cause irritation.
6. Visit your podiatrist
If you have diabetes, seeing your podiatrist regularly is one of the best things you can do for your foot health. Your podiatrist will aim to detect potential problems early and offer treatment options that may prevent complications.
Along with regular visits, make an appointment to see your podiatrist if you notice:
- Pain
- Throbbing
- Swelling
- Cuts, blisters, or sores that don’t heal
- Changes in skin colour
- Changes in skin temperature
- Any signs of infection, such as a fever, redness, or pus
Foot Care for People with Diabetes at Advanced Family & Sports Podiatry
For anybody who has diabetes, caring for your feet is crucial. With poor circulation and nerve damage as common diabetes complications, regular podiatry visits and at-home checks are the keys to noticing and addressing potential problems early.
At Advanced Family & Sports Podiatry, we offer diabetic foot assessment and care from preventative measures and advice to wound care, callus and corn management, and more. To ensure your feet are in good hands, contact us today.
