Those people who have diabetes, circulation problem, infections in the foot, and damage of nerve can occur serious issues. Although, you can take precautions or go for some common treatments for diabetes to maintain your feet healthily.
Now questions arrises how? How to take care of diabetic foot?
By doing some changes in your lifestyle, you can help to keep your feet healthy. This change includes:
- Visit for regular medical checkups, which include your foot checks, A1c, blood pressure, and cholesterol at every visit.
- Observe your blood sugar on a daily basis.
- Workout daily to keep yourself healthy and try to lose weight if you are overweight or obese.
- Avoid sugar-sweetened beverages from your diet.
- Drink water to keep yourself hydrated.
- Regular medical checkups, including foot checks at every visit and checking your A1c, blood pressure, and cholesterol.
Everyday feet care practice
Here are a few feet care practices that you should include in your schedule:
Feet skin is the most sensitive part, which soon gets a fungal and bacterial infection due to dust and grime. To protect your feet skin, wash them daily in warm water with mild soap. Never use hot water for cleaning feet and harsh soaps, it will damage your skin.
The athlete's foot, which is also called tinea pedis, is a fungal skin infection that typically starts between the toes. It causes itching, peeling of the skin, and in some cases, may also cause pain and burning sensations. So after washing feet, dry them nicely between the toes also because infection tends to develop in a moist area.
After washing your feet and drying them nicely, your feet require moisturization. So, when your feet skin feels dry or rough, use a moisturizer or any organic oil to remove roughness from your skin. Avoid using lotion or oil between your toes.
Symptoms of foot problems
It is necessary to recognize the early symptoms of foot care problems in diabetes, such as:
- Itching or peeling of the skin
- Tingling, pain, or burning in feet
- Feeling the sensation of cold feet that don't feel cold while touching
- Change in the color or shape of your feet
- Loss of hair on the toes, feet, and lower legs
- Change in the thickness of your toenails
- Other symptoms include blisters, bunions, corns, calluses, heel spurs, ingrown toenails, toenail fungus, and athlete's foot
Visiting the doctor
If you have any of these signs or symptoms, call your doctor/HCP or call 911 (FOR EMERGENCIES ONLY) immediately. The doctor should check your feet at every appointment and do a complete foot test once a year. You can ask any doubts or information on foot care in diabetes, and he/she should answer all your queries. If you have a history of foot problems, then you should be checked more frequently. Try not to delay because that may result in serious health complications.