Protect Your Feet if You Have Diabetes

If you’re living with diabetes, you may face problems with your feet, which is a common symptom of the disease.  Diabetes sufferers are at an elevated risk for a number of foot problems such as corns, calluses, bunions, and blisters. And high blood sugar can turn these minor issues into incapacitating infections.

There are, however, several tips to help keep your feet in healthy condition; Dr. Hubert Lee of CarePlus Foot & Ankle Specialists is sharing six of them today.

Tips to Keeping Your Diabetic Feet Healthy

• Examine your feet daily. Nerve loss or damage can make it difficult to identify any irritations that may be affecting your feet. Be on the lookout for changes in color, lesions, or dry, cracked feet.
• Wear diabetes-friendly footwear. When shopping for shoes, look for styles that have more depth in the toe area, provide proper coverage of both the top and bottom and have no seams inside the shoe that can irritate your feet.
• Keep your feet dry. Make drying your feet a part of your daily hygiene routine, particularly in the space between your toes. This area tends to get moist and can lead to infection.
• Visit a podiatrist regularly. Small issues can become large problems if they are ignored. Schedule a visit to a podiatrist instead of looking for an over-the-counter product at the pharmacy.
• Treat your feet with low-impact exercises. Be aware that many fitness classes and aerobic exercises may not be good for your feet, especially if you suffer from neuropathy. Research other options that don’t put a lot of pressure on your feet. And always be sure to wear proper footwear.
• Keep your blood sugar under control. When your blood sugar is out-of-control, it can lead to neuropathy, so the better you are at regulating your blood sugar, the healthier your feet will be.

Sufferers of diabetes have enough to worry about without having to worry about the health of their feet. Hopefully, these simple tips will help alleviate some of your concerns. Dr. Hubert Lee of CarePlus Foot & Ankle Specialists is an expert at providing comprehensive diabetic foot care. Call our Bellevue, WA office today to schedule a consultation, or email us here.