Foot care for Diabetic

Remember your health is everything; Diabetics is growing like congress grass in masses. It increase among us is alarming. Most critical effect of diabetics on nerves. Frequently involved organ is Foot. Foot problems in diabetics usually happen when there is nerve damage in the feet and when blood flow is poor.  About 60% of all diabetics will experience some sort of foot problems but remained ignored particularly in rural area.  Daily inspection of feet is very important and gets professional help in the event of a foot injury.  Diabetics are more likely to have foot or leg amputation because high blood sugar causes artery disease which reduces blood flow to the feet. It is very important to keep your blood sugar in normal range to prevent damage to your feet.  There are two systems in the feet that seem to go wrong with diabetics: circulatory system and the nervous system. Problems range from relatively minor ones, such as discomfort, to major ones, including the need for amputation of the leg. 
 
Here are a few foot problems you may encounter.

 Skin changes - high blood sugar can contribute to your feet to become very dry causing the skin to peel or crack because the nerves that control sweating in the feet are no longer working.  To alleviate this problem, after bathing, dry your feet and then seal the moisture that remains with a thick coat of lubricant, such as petroleum jelly or unscented hand cream. Do not put oil or cream between your toes since moisture can cause an infection.  It is recommended you do not soak your feet.

 Calluses - build up faster on the feet of diabetics.  Use of a pumice stone daily will help keep calluses under control.  If calluses are not maintained they can lead to foot ulcers.

 Foot Ulcers - generally occur on the ball of the foot or at the bottom of the big toe.  The biggest risk with ulcers is that the area will become infected.  If you have an ulcer that is not healing and your circulation is poor please seek medical attention to prevent infection from going deeper. Poor circulation (blood flow) can make the feet less able to fight infection and heal, this is because high blood sugar causes blood vessels to narrow and harden.  The symptoms of this is your feet will feel cold and our natural response is to warm them. However, if the feet cannot feel heat, they can be burned with hot water bottles or heating pads so be careful.  To keep feet warm and easy solution is wear socks.   
 
Gangrene - is a very dangerous complication of diabetes, is the result of the death of tissue, usually because of a loss of blood supply.

The number one way to ensure that you do not suffer from these awful problems is to lower your blood sugar level.

 Here are some other things you can do to help you care for your feet. 

• Wash feet daily and dry them carefully, especially between the toes.
• Check feet daily for sores, calluses, red spots, cuts, swelling and blisters.
• To see thebottom of your feet use a small mirror.
• Do not use over-the-counter chemicals on corns, calluses, or warts, since they are usually to strong for diabetics and can burn the feet.
• Do not put feet in hot water until you have tested it.
• If feet are cold wear socks.
• Do not cut off blood flow to feet by wearing tight garments.
• Cut toenails straight across and file edges. Do not rip off hang nails.
• Wear flat shoes that fit the feet.
• Do not walk barefoot.
• Socks should not have seams or other bumpy areas and put on socks gently to prevent ripping a toenail.
• Consider wearing comfortable walking shoes daily
• Do not smoke.