Both patients with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes are at risk of developing diabetic foot disease. The older you get and the longer you have diabetes can also increase your risk.
Poor Circulation
Having diabetes can increase your risk of reduced blood circulation to your legs and feet and can lead to Peripheral Vascular Disease. When this occurs there is reduced oxygen and nutrients reaching your feet and toes and can lead to wounds not healing. This can also be quite dangerous when combined with reduced sensation in the feet as it may lead to ulceration and potentially gangrene if an infection occurs.
Signs of reduced circulation to look out for:
Intermittent claudication- which may feel like cramps, muscle fatigue or heaviness in your calves
Resting pain- painful calves whilst lying down
Cold feet
Numbness in your feet
Muscular weakness
Blue or purple skin colour
Wounds that take a long time to heal
Hair loss or toenails not growing
At Glad Feet Podiatry our Podiatrists will perform an annual vascular assessment on your feet to assess how your circulation is, we look at the health of your toenails and skin and provide you with the right education to prevent any damage that may occur as a result of compromised circulation.
Loss of protective sensation
One of the potential problems associated with diabetes is the loss of the ability to feel things in your feet. This condition is known as Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy.
Our ability to feel pain is very important as it is a protective mechanism. Pain tells us if we stood on something sharp or if we are too close to a heat source and to move away. At Glad Feet Podiatry our Podiatrists will perform an annual nerve assessment on your feet to assess how your protective sensation is and provide you with the right education to prevent any damage that may occur as a result of Diabetic peripheral neuropathy.
Limited movement in the joint
People with diabetes who have high levels of glucose in their bodies can develop stiffness in their ligaments and other structures around the joints over time. This is particularly seen in the ankle joint and in the 1 MTPJ (big toe) and as a result can alter the way that you walk.
How a Podiatrist can assist you?
The role of a Podiatrist in patients with diabetes is very important. We can assess, treat and educate you on how to look after the health of your feet in order to prevent any Diabetes related foot complications.
Assess
During every Podiatry consultation we will assess the health of your feet by looking at it’s colour, temperature, presence of hair, state of the toenails, the texture of the skin and may check your pulse at various spots. You may want to discuss with us any recent change that you may have noticed in your feet since your last consultation. Once a year we perform a comprehensive assessment on your feet where we assess your nerve supply and blood circulation and provide you with feedback as to how the state of your feet are. We may also pass the results onto your GP if we discover any changes or have any concerns.
Treat
We treat your feet in a very careful manner, we trim your toenails, we reduce their thickness if needed, we remove any cracks in the skin, callous and corns. We also look out for any skin or nail infections. We thoroughly inspect for any wounds on your feet and provide you with the necessary treatment.
Educate
At Glad Feet Podiatry we pride ourselves on educating our patients continuously, we will provide you with all the relevant information you need to prevent any further foot complications and answer all your questions about how to maintain healthy feet.
We also listen to any complaints you may have about your feet and if further investigations are required we can write out a referral for you whether it be X-ray, pathology or to other specialists.
Call today on (03) 90773239 to make an appointment and experience Glad Feet.