Our Top Tips to Protect Your Feet If You Have Diabetes
From inspecting your feet daily for sores to keeping your skin dry, proper foot health is crucial when you have diabetes. Today Dr. Stuart Snyder and Dr. Sara Sharma of Maple Springs Foot Center, LLC are sharing their top tips to decrease your risk of infection while protecting your feet.
What Effect Does Diabetes Have on Your Feet and Legs?
If you're living with diabetes, you may have to deal with problems with your feet at some point. Diabetes places patients at higher risk for blisters, corns, bunions, calluses, and ulcers. The high blood sugar that accompanies diabetes can transform these minor injuries into incapacitating infections.
There are several steps to help keep your feet in good shape; following are some top tips to follow.
Inspect Your Feet Daily: Nerve damage is a side effect of diabetes that makes it difficult to feel when you have cracks or sores. Diabetic patients should look for any changes in color, dry, cracked skin or sores.
Don't Use Your Feet to Test Hot Water: When people with diabetes have nerve damage or neuropathy, it’s often challenging to determine if bath water is too hot. Use your elbow to check the temperature prior to entering the tub or shower.
Help Your Feet With Socks and Footwear That Are Diabetes-Friendly: Look for shoes that are deeper in the toe box, have good coverage of both top and bottom, and don’t have inside seams that can irritate your foot. Also, choose socks that don’t have seams, and are made from cotton or another moisture-wicking material.
Don’t Go Barefoot: Even when inside, walking around when not wearing shoes puts your feet at risk. If you suffer from neuropathy, you might not see these damages until they have already become infected, so it’s best to always wear footwear even when you’re in the house.
Keep Your Feet Dry: Drying your feet should be a part of your daily hygiene. The space between your toes is airtight, and when skin gets damp and breaks down, it can lead to infection. Avoid this by drying your feet thoroughly after you’ve washed them and remove wet shoes and socks immediately.
See a Podiatrist Regularly: When putting together a team to handle your diabetes, consider incorporating a podiatrist instead of going to the drugstore for an over-the-counter product for feet that can irritate your skin and can increase your risk of infection.
Stabilize Feet With Orthotics: Orthotic footwear is a great investment in comfort and protection. Visit your podiatrist for advice – he/she may recommend these shoes if you have an ulcer or sore that isn’t healing properly.
If you’re diabetic and are concerned about the condition of your feet, it’s important to contact the offices of Dr. Stuart Snyder and Dr. Sara Sharma of Maple Springs Foot Center, LLC today. You can call us at (301) 762-3338 to schedule an appointment or book it online.
