Diabetes and your feet
Diabetes is a potentially life-threatening disease that affects over 250 million people worldwide. It affects your body in multiple different ways and can cause serious complications to your eyes, kidneys, and feet. The role of the podiatrist is paramount in the prevention of foot issues as a simple blister can lead to a chronic ulcer under certain circumstances, especially if there is reduced circulation and loss of sensation to your feet.
DIABETES FACTS
- In the next 3 years the number of people worldwide who have diabetes is expected to rise to 380 million.
- Up to 70% of lower limb amputations are performed on people with diabetes.
- Up to 85% of all amputations are preceded by an ulcer.
- Every 30 seconds, a lower limb is lost somewhere in the world as a consequence of diabetes.
What is it?
Diabetes develops from high blood sugar levels. This can cause damage to your blood vessels, affecting circulation to your feet as less blood is getting to your skin, muscles, and tissues. It also affects your nervous system in your body by stopping important messages getting to and from your brain. The longest nerves are more likely to be affected – those that reach all the way down to your legs and feet. This nerve damage is called neuropathy. Different types of diabetic neuropathy include sensory, motor, and autonomic.
What can I do to prevent complications?
If you wish to prevent foot problems, you need to manage your diabetes well by controlling your blood glucose levels, along with your blood pressure and cholesterol. A healthy and active lifestyle, especially if you are a non-smoker, can prevent or slow down any changes to the nerves and blood vessels that supply your legs and feet.
Everyone who has diabetes should also have their feet checked regularly with a healthcare professional (podiatrist, nurse or doctor) and at the very least once a year at their annual review. However, if you are at increased risk of complications, these inspections may be done more frequently.
Podiatrists can provide regular foot care by reducing the build-up of hard skin, managing your nail care, and offer advice on footwear, posture, exercises, wound management, minimise infections, circulation, padding and strapping, or any other foot related issues you may have.
How can a Podiatrist help me?
At your first appointment the podiatrist will assess your feet and check both the blood supply to your feet as well as any evidence of loss of sensation in your feet.
The assessment of the blood supply to your feet includes feeling the pulses in the feet, checking the colour, texture and quality of the skin and nails, feeling the temperature as well as asking questions about calf pain during walking. Most people have 2 pulses on their feet: one on the top (dorsalis pedis) and one on the inside of the ankle (posterior tibial). If the podiatrist cannot feel the pulses with their fingers, they may use a Doppler (hand-held scanner) to listen to them.
Sensation will most commonly be checked with a monofilament and tuning fork. The monofilament is a plastic probe that is designed to buckle at a given pressure and is a good indicator for loss of feeling.
Part of the assessment also includes any presence of foot deformities or signs of excessive loading. In this case, the podiatrist can offer advice on footwear or discuss a management plan that may involve provision of foot supports to minimise the pressure on your feet.
How serious is it? Diabetes and your feet
It is important to look after your feet when you have diabetes. Any injury or hard skin has the potential to develop into something more serious. When the skin is damaged, it may not heal so easily and sometimes this can cause an ulcer to form on your foot. Additionally, if you have lost feeling in your feet then it is possible that you may unknowingly damage your feet. You may stand on sharp objects like a nail, piercing the skin even down to the bone without realising it. If not noticed and not treated appropriately this can have potentially serious consequences and could lead to an amputation. Such an outcome is less likely if you seek expert advice from your multidisciplinary foot care team.
At Medipod Clinics, we take care of your feet. Our team of Podiatrists have a wealth of experience in managing foot problems. We also try to give you the information you need to keep your feet healthy.
Some of our podiatrists are very interested in the diabetic foot so we can offer expert advice about circulation, neuropathy, and reducing foot complications. We also offer treatments for nails, hard skin, ingrown toenails, verrucas, fungal infections, thickened nails, heel pain and tendinitis. With our expertise and experience, you will have full peace of mind when it comes to your foot health.
If you are experiencing any discomfort in your feet, we are more than happy to help. Give us a call today on 01455 246100 to chat through your needs. We would love to help you with any foot health issues you may have.
Thank you for reading – Diabetes and your feet.
Faye Vogiatzoglou
Clinical Director