Diabetes Foot Care

Primary foot care intervention for diabetes is an important part of the diabetic’s overall health care. The diabetic will need to learn all they can about foot health care as they have the most difficulties with their feet. This is caused by two problems:

• Nerve damage in the feet
• Narrowing of blood vessels in the legs

These two problems can cause an insignificant cut for most people to become extremely infected for a diabetic. Because of the nerve damage, they might not be able to tell when they have skin damage or a small cut and an infection can rage before it is even noticed. And with poor circulation, when there is a cut or any damage, there is not enough blood flowing to the foot to fight the infection. This can quickly lead to gangrene of the foot which is when the tissue begins to die. Gangrene can then lead to amputation of the foot or leg. But the good news is that all these problems can be prevented.

First and most important, if a diabetic have toes or feet that are pale or blue – this is a symptom of poor circulation. And if they feel tingling or numbness in the toes or feet these are symptoms of nerve damage. If a diabetic has any of these symptoms, it is important to talk with their primary care physician or visit with a podiatrist immediately.

Diabetic foot ulcers are open wounds or sores that commonly develop on the bottom of the feet. Approximately 5 to 6 percent of diabetics who develop foot ulcers will need to be hospitalized because of infections. Up to 25 percent of these patients will eventually need amputation.

The primary goal in the treatment of foot ulcers is to obtain healing as soon as possible. The appropriate treatment of these wounds must include the prevention of infection, relieving pressure off of the wound, debridement or removing of dead skin and tissue, applying dressings with medications, and of course, managing blood glucose levels.

There have been significant strides made in the last decade in the science of wound care. Many decades ago the prevailing wisdom was to let the air get to the wound but we now know that can be detrimental to the healing of wounds. Foot ulcers heal better and with less infection when the ulcers are covered and kept moist with topical medications. Other effective treatments are cleaning with normal saline solution and advanced treatments involving skin substitutes. There also must be sufficient circulation to the ulcerated areas and your physicians can determine if the circulation is sufficient for proper healing.

If a diabetic notices that a foot looks red or feels hot or if they are running a fever they must contact their physician as quickly as possible. Infections in the foot can get worse quickly and gangrene can develop quickly also. So, for diabetics, these foot care tips are especially important.

Tips for diabetes foot care:

• Use warm water.
• Use mild soaps.
• Pat the skin dry, don’t rub. Dry feet completely
• After cleaning your feet, use lotion to prevent cracks.
• Do not put lotion between toes.
• Make sure the skin between the toes is completely dry as fungi and bacteria love to grow in moist areas.

Examine the feet each day

• Check the bottoms and tops of the feet.
• Check for dry, cracked skin.
• Check for blisters, scratches, cuts, or other sores.
• Check for any redness, increased warmth, or tenderness.
• Check for calluses, ingrown toenails, and corns.
• Do not pop blisters or sores. Apply bandage and wear a different pair of shoes.

Take care of the toenails

• Always cut your toenails after bathing because they will be softer.
• Always cut toenails straight across and then smooth with an emery board.
• Do not cut into the corners of toes.

Care when exercising

• Walk and exercise using comfortable shoes.
• Don’t exercise when there are open sores on the feet.

Protect feet with socks and shoes

• Never go without shoes or barefoot.
• At all times protect feet by wearing shoes, hard-soled slippers.
• Avoid high heel shoes and those with toes that are pointed.
• Keep away from shoes which expose toes or heels. These types of shoes increase the risk for injury and possible infections.
• When trying on new shoes use the type of socks you will usually wear.
• Don’t wear new shoes for more than an hour at a time until broken in.
• Look and also feel inside shoes before putting them on.
• Avoid socks which are tight.
• Wear natural fiber socks (wool, cotton, or a cotton-wool blend).
• Use special shoes if your healthcare provider recommends them.
• Wear shoes that fit properly.

If you have any nerve damage (neuropathy), you will not notice that your shoes are too tight. So you should perform the “footwear test” listed below:

• Stand on a piece of paper – make sure you are standing and not sitting.
• Trace the outline of the foot.
• Trace the outline of your shoe.
• Compare the tracings and you should be able to tell if your shoes are too small.

DiabEase™ products for skin care are a line of skin products that are on the market especially for people living with diabetes. This line of products contain all natural ingredients including minerals from the Dead Sea which stimulates circulation and softens dry or cracked skin on the feet. Urea enhances the natural body’s process of exfoliation. Antiseptic Tea Tree provides a barrier which protects the skin from most impurity. Botanical Green Tea, Aloe Vera, and Clove provide an anti-oxidant protection and Vitamins E, C, A, and K which nourishes renewal of skin.

Some of the products in this line are Foot Therapy Cream, Callus Cream, Foot Scrub Cream, Foot Therapy Soaking Salts and other creams and lotions for proper care of feet. They also have several gift baskets for Christmas or birthday gift giving.

Acupuncture and reflexology are proven to be helpful alternative treatments for neuropathy problems in the foot. Acupuncture is a treatment in Chinese traditional medicine and seeks to correct any imbalances by using thin needles placed in to certain parts of the body. The practitioner then moves them or stimulates them with electricity or gentle heat. This is supposed to correct energy imbalances which contribute to problems of neuropathy.

Reflexology is also another alternative foot care method. Reflexology is a method of applying pressure on reflex-zones and pressure points of the feet according to a chart of reflexology points. Regular reflexology treatments can assist with regular health maintenance as well has helping restore balance to areas where there is already pain or numbness.

Alpha-lipoic acid and the B vitamins are extremely essential to nerve health. It is recommended to start with 200 mg daily of alpha-lipoic acid and gradually increase to 1,000 mg daily over the course of a few months. The B vitamins in proper amounts can be taken with a daily pill of B-vitamin complex.

Primary foot care intervention for diabetes is an important part of the diabetics overall health care.