3 Essential Foot Care Tips for Patients With Diabetes

One of the major complications of having diabetes is the peripheral nerve damage that can cause numbness in the feet and allow dangerous infections to spread, especially when combined with a decreased immune response and poor blood circulation. Essential diabetic foot care tips include, keeping your feet as clean and dry as possible, and seeing your foot doctor regularly to prevent and treat ulcerating infections and prevent possible amputations.

3 essential foot care tips for patients who have diabetes include the following:

1. Inspect your feet every day—Daily foot inspections are an essential aspect of foot care when you have diabetes. Be on the lookout for cuts, scrapes, bruises, blisters, etc., to get a better look at the bottoms of your feet.  You can use a mirror. Also remember to check between the toes since it is where bacterial and fungal infections often begin.
2. Be proactive about preventing foot injuries—Since even just a small cut can go unnoticed and quickly become infected, avoid walking around barefoot in locations like a park or the beach or even at home.
3. Wear properly fitted shoes with orthotic inserts—Specially made shoes for diabetic patients offer extra cushioning and support. Properly placed orthotic shoe inserts can help isolate problem areas so healing can occur.

If you are experiencing diabetic foot problems, see your foot doctor regularly to treat and prevent complications. The foot experts at Desert Podiatric Medical Specialists, in the Tucson, Oro Valley, and Green Valley areas of Pima County Arizona, have unparalleled experience in treating all aspects of foot and ankle care. Our team of doctors, including Christopher M. Funk, D.P.M., FACFAS, Bradley A. Whitaker, D.P.M., FACFAS, and Peter C. Merrill, D.P.M., AACFAS, is dedicated to serving you with state-of-the-art, cutting edge medical technologies including the PinPointe FootLaser, custom-fitted orthotics, and Radial Pulse Therapy (RPT) for chronic foot, heel, or ankle pain. If you have any questions or would like to make an appointment please call (520) 575-0800.