Diabetic feet – why proper diabetic foot care is definitely a must?

All diabetics should practice proper diabetic foot care. Problems with the Diabetic feet starts with the diabetic leg pain and progress to more serious problems which leads to increased risk of amputation.

Actually, most amputations are as a result of complications of diabetes mellitus. It comes as no surprise that according to diabetes.co.uk, “Diabetes is one the leading causes of amputation of the lower limbs throughout the world”. The association also states that “Problems of the foot are the most frequent reasons for hospitalisation amongst patients who have diabetes”.

For this reason proper diabetic foot care is absolutely important. Diabetes mellitus which is a metabolic disorder affects the body’s ability to take excess sugar from the blood and use it for energy.

Excess sugar or glucose in the blood for an extended period of time will cause damage to the blood vessels. The medical term for damage of the blood vessels is called diabetic neuropathy.Diabetic neuropathy normally manifests itself among the first signs of diabetes symptoms in the form of numbness or tingling in the outer extremities of the body - the fingers and toes.

The numbness causes a loss of feeling in the diabetic feet and/or feet. The chance of losing the feeling in your feet increases with the number of years that you have suffered from diabetes mellitus symptoms. Research suggests that up to one in three people with diabetes mellitus have some loss of sensation in their foot.As a result of loss of sensation it may cause cuts, bruises or other injuries to go otherwise unnoticed when under normal circumstances these injuries would have been picked up early. It is not uncommon for diabetics to unknowingly damage their feet by standing on sharp objects like nails or a thumb tacks.

These injuries could easily have happen at the office or at home. That is the main reason why it is a great idea for diabetics to not to take off their shoes at work and to work proper diabetic footwear at home. A diabetic should always wear comfortable shoes – so you don’t have to take it off. By doing this you will be protecting your diabetic feet.

How severe is the diabetic foot problem?Sometimes the numbness can be so bad that if something pierces through your skin, even down to the bone, you may not feel it. If these injuries are not noticed early it may lead to further complications of diabetes. Cut can also become infected if not treated – in some cases gangrene may take hold. You don’t want this to happen because where ever gangrene sets in has to be cut away.

Gangrene is a medical term which describes the death of an area of the body. The most areas of the body to be affected include the toes, feet, fingers or hands. It develops when there is poor blood supply to an affected part of the body as a result of damage to blood vessels.

If you don’t implement proper diabetes foot care for the diabetic feet on a daily basis to eliminate and deal with injuries early amputation of the feet may be a real unwanted possibility.

Most amputation is a result of poorly managed diabetes mellitus symptoms. With this in mind it becomes apparent that proper foot care is essential for everyone since there are many diabetics who have not been diagnosed.

If you experience slow healing cuts on your foot let your health care professional know- as it could be diabetes mellitus. You will be able to reduce the risk of serious complications of the diabetic feet by undertaking daily foot inspections.

You could take simple precautions like not walking bare footed or wearing shoes that are comfortable and protective at the same time. Check your feet everyday for cuts, bruises or calluses. Good luck and good health

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