Diabetic Foot Care

Diabetic foot care is something that needs to happen every day.  One of the best ways to care for your feet is to closely monitor your blood sugars and whenever possible keep your blood sugars in the range recommended by your medical team.  People with diabetes are more likely to develop feet problems than other people.  Your feet should be physically examined by your health care provider at least once a year.  If you have problems with your feet, they need to be examined more often.  Always contact your healthcare team if there are changes to the way your feet look or feel.  Are they discolored?  Swollen?  Do they feel different, tingling, numbness, pain?  These are all reasons to talk to your doctor and have him or her examine your feet to make sure there is not an issue.

Caring for Your Feet:

• Protect your feet from extreme temperatures, too hot or too cold are both bad for sensitive feet.  Avoid hot tubs or hot baths.  Never walk barefoot on hot pavement or sand.  Avoid using heating pads, heating blankets, or hot water bottles, it is much easier to burn your feet than you think.
• Check your feet carefully, look for blisters, ulcers, red spots, anything that you notice out of the ordinary needs to be taken seriously.  By checking your feet often you can avoid small problems becoming infections.
• Diabetic Socks are a great choice because they have flat seams, cushioned soles that can help protect feet from injury, as well as moisture wicking that help feet stay dry.
• Applying a light layer of moisturizer to your feet each day after washing them can help you avoid dry, cracked skin.  Skin moisturizer should be applied along the top and bottom of the foot but not in between toes. 
• Keep toenails neatly trimmed.  Always try to use your toenail clipper to trim nails straight across and then use a file to gently soften edges.  If you can not reach or you are unable to cut your nails, talk to your medical team so they may assist you.  Ingrown nails can mean big problems for anyone but especially for diabetics.