The Main Reasons Why Diabetic Foot Care Is So Important

Proper diabetes management is a head-to-toe commitment. While we concentrate more on what you put inside your body when you live with diabetes, remember to consider what’s going on the outside of your body, especially when it comes to the health of your feet. Today Dr. Stuart Snyder and Dr. Sara Sharma of Maple Springs Foot Center, LLC are sharing information regarding why diabetic foot care is so vitally important.  

Diabetes puts your feet at risk. The negative effects of diabetes can have consequences throughout your body, but the feet are in a particularly vulnerable position regarding circulation. A result of diabetes can be the damaging and narrowing of blood vessels, which reduces general circulation. While this can affect the body, it tends to be felt first - and most severely - in the feet.  

Easy tips for diabetic care. Healthy diabetic foot care goes a long way toward preventing issues from escalating to unsafe levels. Tackling problems in their earliest stages, or keeping them from occurring at all, has a positive effect on the health and comfort of your feet in the future. 

So, what can you do? 

Examine your feet daily. This is perhaps the most valuable habit you can develop. Even if your feet feel perfectly healthy, diabetes has a way of slowly progressing.  

Wear healthier footwear. In some cases, we recommend diabetic shoes, but you can still make shoe choices that are breathable, flexible, and allow plenty of room for your toes, particularly if you have hammertoes or bunions.  

Keep your feet dry. Extra moisture can provide the perfect breeding ground for fungus such as fungal toenails and athlete’s foot. Both of these conditions can create more problems for a person who has diabetes than they would for someone else. 

Keep them moisturized. If your feet dry out, keep them moisturized. Because circulation will be an ongoing concern over time, it will pay now to invest efforts into improving your circulation by being active. 

While self-care is essential for the prevention of the complications of diabetes, you need a professional podiatrist on your side as well. If you need help dealing with diabetic feet, contact the offices of Dr. Stuart Snyder and Dr. Sara Sharma of Maple Springs Foot Center, LLC to schedule an appointment. Call us today us at (301) 762-3338 or book your appointment online.