Diabetic Foot Care for Healthy Feet

What You Need To Know

Understanding how diabetes affects your feet is the first step toward preventing complications.

Understanding Diabetic Foot Care

If you’re living with diabetes, you’re also more likely to develop peripheral neuropathy and foot problems, such as open wounds and calluses.

Diabetes is a chronic disease that causes your blood sugar levels to stay at consistently unhealthy levels. Left untreated, this can lead to a variety of health problems, particularly those that affect your lower extremities. If you have diabetes, you’re more likely to develop slow-healing wounds, diabetic ulcers, peripheral neuropathy, and calluses. These conditions also increase your risk of infection and in turn, the need for amputation.

Diabetic neuropathy affects 60 to 70% of people with diabetes. Neuropathy is the medical term for nerve damage, which is associated with symptoms such as tingling, numbness, and balance problems. Unfortunately, many people assume these symptoms are just a result of old age.

Diabetes often damages the nerves in your feet, preventing you from feeling pain if you cut your foot or step on a foreign object. If a wound goes unnoticed and it’s combined with poor circulation, you’re more likely to develop an infection. When you have diabetes, your wounds don’t heal as quickly as they would for someone else, so it’s important you seek professional medical help.

If your feet or toes regularly bother you, make an appointment with us so we can evaluate your foot health and build a care plan tailored to your needs.

Prevention, Daily Care, and Treatment Options

Fortunately, you can significantly lower your risk of more serious problems by monitoring your feet regularly, taking your prescription medications, exercising, and eating a healthy, well-balanced diet.

Even if you haven’t developed neuropathy or a diabetic ulcer, you can still benefit from diabetic foot care. Following an exam and review of your medical history, we can provide you with tips and suggestions to help you detect problems early on and prevent further complications. For example, inspecting your feet on a daily basis, washing your feet regularly, and wearing comfortable, well-fitting footwear can significantly lower your risk of infection or other complications.

Our providers offer a comprehensive suite of diabetic foot care treatments. For wound care, we offer safe and effective treatments for diabetic wounds, including antibiotics, enzyme treatments, diabetic shoes, casts, and foot braces. Combined with amputation prevention services, we help your limbs stay healthy and infection-free.

For patients with painful diabetic neuropathy, Nevro HFX is a non-drug treatment recently approved by the FDA. In a clinical study, more than 8 out of 10 patients experienced significant, long-term relief, and 63% of patients saw a reduction in burning, tingling, and numbness sensations associated with their diabetic neuropathy.

Our providers have years of experience assisting patients with diabetic foot care and can help you build a plan that protects your feet for the long term.