Diabetic Foot Care

People with diabetes are more prone to developing foot problems and therefore need to take extra care with their feet. The longer the person has had the diabetes, the more susceptible to problems such as infection.

There are two main causes of foot problems in people with Diabetes.

Neuropathy – numbness

This means loss of feeling in the feet and is due to nerve damages or changes. It may present as numbness, burning, pins & needles or itching. This can be quite serious as when loss of feeling occurs in the feet, injuries may occur without the person being aware.

Sensation in the feet can be examined and monitored with a few simple tests.

Angiopathy – poor circulation

The circulation to the legs and feet is decreased due to narrowing or hardening of the blood vessels. When the blood flow is diminished, infections develop and healing is delayed. See a podiatrist regularly to correctly and safely remove any corns and callouses and monitor the foot’s vascular status.