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D|abet|c Ioot Care Cverv|ew
ulabeLes melllLus (uM) represenLs several dlseases ln whlch hlgh blood glucose levels over Llme
can damage Lhe nerves kldneys eyes and blood vessels ulabeLes can also decrease Lhe bodys
ablllLy Lo flghL lnfecLlon When dlabeLes ls noL well conLrolled damage Lo Lhe organs and
lmpalrmenL of Lhe lmmune sysLem ls llkely looL problems commonly develop ln people wlLh
dlabeLes and can qulckly become serlous
O WlLh damage Lo Lhe nervous sysLem a person wlLh dlabeLes may noL be able Lo feel hls
or her feeL properly normal sweaL secreLlon and oll producLlon LhaL lubrlcaLes Lhe skln
of Lhe fooL ls lmpalred 1hese facLors LogeLher can lead Lo abnormal pressure on Lhe
skln bones and [olnLs of Lhe fooL durlng walklng and can lead Lo breakdown of Lhe skln
of Lhe fooL Sores may develop
O uamage Lo blood vessels and lmpalrmenL of Lhe lmmune sysLem from dlabeLes makes lL
dlfflculL Lo heal Lhese wounds 8acLerlal lnfecLlon of Lhe skln connecLlve Llssues
muscles and bones can Lhen occur 1hese lnfecLlons can develop lnLo gangrene
8ecause of Lhe poor blood flow anLlbloLlcs cannoL geL Lo Lhe slLe of Lhe lnfecLlon easlly
CfLen Lhe only LreaLmenL for Lhls ls ampuLaLlon of Lhe fooL or leg lf Lhe lnfecLlon
spreads Lo Lhe bloodsLream Lhls process can be llfeLhreaLenlng
O eople wlLh dlabeLes musL be fully aware of how Lo prevenL fooL problems before Lhey
occur Lo recognlze problems early and Lo seek Lhe rlghL LreaLmenL when problems do
occur AlLhough LreaLmenL for dlabeLlc fooL problems has lmproved prevenLlon
lncludlng good conLrol of blood sugar level remalns Lhe besL way Lo prevenL dlabeLlc
compllcaLlons
4 eople wlLh dlabeLes should learn how Lo examlne Lhelr own feeL and how Lo
recognlze Lhe early slgns and sympLoms of dlabeLlc fooL problems
4 1hey should also learn whaL ls reasonable Lo manage rouLlne aL home fooL care
how Lo recognlze when Lo call Lhe docLor and how Lo recognlze when a problem
has become serlous enough Lo seek emergency LreaLmenL
D|abet|c Ioot Care 1reatment
Se|fCare at nome
A person wlLh dlabeLes should do Lhe followlng
O Ioot exam|nat|on Lxamlne your feeL dally and also afLer any Lrauma no maLLer how
mlnor Lo your feeL 8eporL any abnormallLles Lo your physlclan use a waLerbased
molsLurlzer every day (buL noL beLween your Loes) Lo prevenL dry skln and cracklng
Wear coLLon or wool socks Avold elasLlc socks and hoslery because Lhey may lmpalr
clrculaLlon
uanlele kaLrlna lmenLel
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O ||m|nate obstac|es Move or remove any lLems you are llkely Lo Lrlp over or bump your
feeL on keep cluLLer on Lhe floor plcked up LlghL Lhe paLhways used aL nlghL lndoors
and ouLdoors
O 1oena|| tr|mm|ng Always cuL your nalls wlLh a safeLy cllpper never a sclssors CuL Lhem
sLralghL across and leave plenLy of room ouL from Lhe nall bed or qulck lf you have
dlfflculLy wlLh your vlslon or uslng your hands leL your docLor do lL for you or Lraln a
famlly member how Lo do lL safely
O Iootwear Wear sLurdy comforLable shoes whenever feaslble Lo proLecL your feeL 1o
be sure your shoes flL properly see a podlaLrlsL (fooL docLor) for flLLlng
recommendaLlons or shop aL shoe sLores speclallzlng ln flLLlng people wlLh dlabeLes
?our endocrlnologlsL (dlabeLes speclallsL) can provlde you wlLh a referral Lo a podlaLrlsL
or orLhopedlsL LhaL may also be an excellenL resource for flndlng local shoe sLores lf you
have flaL feeL bunlons or hammerLoes you may need prescrlpLlon shoes or shoe
lnserLs
O xerc|se 8egular exerclse wlll lmprove bone and [olnL healLh ln your feeL and legs
lmprove clrculaLlon Lo your legs and wlll also help Lo sLablllze your blood sugar levels
ConsulL your physlclan prlor Lo beglnnlng any exerclse program
O Smok|ng lf you smoke any form of Lobacco qulLLlng can be one of Lhe besL Lhlngs you
can do Lo prevenL problems wlLh your feeL Smoklng acceleraLes damage Lo blood
vessels especlally small blood vessels leadlng Lo poor clrculaLlon whlch ls a ma[or rlsk
facLor for fooL lnfecLlons and ulLlmaLely ampuLaLlons
O D|abetes contro| lollowlng a reasonable dleL Laklng your medlcaLlons checklng your
blood sugar regularly exerclslng regularly and malnLalnlng good communlcaLlon wlLh
your physlclan are essenLlal ln keeplng your dlabeLes under conLrol ConslsLenL long
Lerm blood sugar conLrol Lo near normal levels can greaLly lower Lhe rlsk of damage Lo
your nerves kldneys eyes and blood vessels







uanlele kaLrlna lmenLel
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8eacLlon aper

WhaL l learned ln ulabeLes looL care ls LhaL feeL of a dlabeLlc person needs aLLenLlon because
you never know whaL mlghL happen Lo your feeL CeLLlng wounded easlly can make lL even worse
because wounds of a dlabeLlc person can cause bacLerlal lnfecLlon whlch can conLamlnaLe hls feeL and
geLs really offenslve 1hls ls why proper care of Lhe feeL ls needed Lo make dlabeLlc person healLhy
WhaL l also learned ls LhaL safeLy ls all LhaL maLLers and healLhy llfesLyle ls a way Lo lmprove a
dlabeLlc paLlenL's llfe especlally hls feeL 1he ma[or role of a dlabeLlc paLlenL Lo prevenL furLher
conLamlnaLlon or lnfecLlon Lo hls feeL ls a proper dleL exerclse smoklng conLrol and proper fooLwear
Slnce a dlabeLlc person lsn'L allowed Lo be ln[ured on Lo hls feeL especlally wounded he has Lo know
LhaL proper fooLwear and proper way on how Lo handle hlmself Pe also needs asslsLance lf Lhe paLlenL
ls old or has dlfflculLy ln vlslon provlde wlLh exLra care on how Lo Lake off all Lhe obsLacles LhaL may hlL
hls feeL