Diabetes and Your Feet

by Bob Fleming

We diabetics need to take special care of our feet, or we can find ourselves with two types of foot problem: reduced blood circulation and nerve damage. Here are some signs to look for, and some ways to prevent them.

Symptom

If your feet are always cold, if your legs are sore when you walk, or if your feet hurt at night while you're in bed, you may be suffering from poor blood circulation. This in turn can slow down the healing process when you have cuts or other damage to your feet.

Prevention

Keeping physically active helps improve circulation. You also need to control your blood fat and sugar legels, as well as your blood pressure. And of course I'm sure I don't need to tell you this, but I will anyway: don't smoke!

Symptom

If your feet are numb, if you have a burning sensation on the soles of your feet or if you have "pins and needles" in your feet, you have the signs of possible damage to the nerves in your feet.

Foot nerves are the longest nerves in our bodies, and are therefore prone to damage by diabetes. If these nerves are damaged, we have less sensation in our feet, so we could have cuts or blisters that can lead to ulcers, and we wouldn't even know about it until it's too late.

Prevention

Check your feet regularly for signs of injury. If you develop corns or calluses, have them treated right away by your podiatrist. Wash and dry carefully between your toes, and keep your toenails trimmed and smooth.

If you are like me, you love to have your feet pampered anyway, but for us diabetics it not only feels good but also prevents other serious complications. So book that foot massage appointment now!