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The holiday is over
After the holiday season, foot care can be a major concern for people with diabetes
Most diabetics can tell you that proper diabetic foot care is of utmost importance for a host of reasons. One major reason is the fact that even a small cut or tear of the skin can be extremely difficult to heal properly. Diabetes decreases blood flow, which slows healing. Many diabetics don’t notice the injury right away because they have a reduced sensation in their hands or feet (neuropathy). With this delayed healing, something as simple as stepping on a thumbtack can eventually become a 4-inch wound.
Unfortunately, it’s not too uncommon for these wounds to eventually lead to the loss of a limb (in 2010, 73,000 non-traumatic lower-limb amputations were performed in adults with diagnosed diabetes).
We all tend to go over do it on the sweets during the holidays, even the most self-disciplined diabetics. The podiatry team at Piedmont often sees a big surge of diabetic foot wounds after the holidays when blood sugars get out of check and people are too busy to maintain foot health.
Encourage the diabetics you know to check their feet every day for small cuts or breaks in the skin. Diabetics need to make sure their feet don’t get either too dry (so that the skin cracks) or have too much moisture in their feet. Proper footwear is crucial and orthopaedic shoes may be a good option.
What happens if a diabetic does develop a foot sore?
Cover the wound with antibiotic cream and light gauze and keep pressure off of the area. The most important thing is to seek a local wound care center as soon as possible. To make an appointment with a podiatrist, call 478.474.2114.posted 05/01/2017 in Blog, Podiatry
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