How does diabetes affect foot health?

Diabetes can affect many aspects of your health, including the health of your feet. This chronic condition affects how your body uses the sugar it gets from your diet to generate energy.

In Type 1 diabetes, your body doesn’t make the insulin hormone necessary to keep blood sugar levels well-controlled. In Type 2 diabetes, your body doesn’t make enough insulin or doesn’t use insulin properly. 

Both conditions can result in chronically high blood sugar levels, which can lead to serious health issues, including heart disease.

Concerning your foot health, uncontrolled diabetes can cause nerve damage, a condition known as diabetic neuropathy. 

Neuropathy leads to chronic pain and tingling, eventually resulting in the loss of feeling in your feet. Because you can no longer feel sensations, your feet are susceptible to severe infections, blisters, and sores.

Diabetes can also reduce blood circulation in your feet, leading to slow-healing sores. If these sores become infected and aren’t properly treated, gangrene, or tissue death, can result. Once the damage is this extensive, you may need an amputation of your toes or your entire foot.

What diabetic foot care services are available?

To reduce your risk for serious complications, Foot & Ankle Premier Specialists offers in-office diabetic foot care services. They inspect the condition of your feet during routine appointments, looking for cuts or sores and signs of infection.

At the first sign of a problem, your podiatrist can treat the wound properly to prevent long-term complications. 

They also offer guidance on proper daily at-home care for your feet, such as the right technique for trimming your nails and living with the side effects of nerve damage. They can even recommend therapeutic diabetic shoes to protect your foot health.

Why do I need diabetic shoes?

If you suffer nerve damage as a result of diabetes, you may also experience changes in the shape of your feet, including deformities, that make it difficult to wear shoes comfortably.

To prevent pain and blisters or other open wounds, Foot & Ankle Premier Specialists can suggest diabetic shoes that protect your feet. 

Shoes may be custom-made to fit the exact shape of your foot, especially if you already have a deformity. Therapeutic shoes can also be wider than regular shoes to prevent other foot issues, like bunions and corns.

If you have diabetes and need reliable diabetic foot care, schedule a consultation today by calling the office nearest you or by booking an appointment online now.