Footcare | Diabetes Awareness

Footcare

Why is footcare so important? When you have type 2 diabetes, long term complications can cause neropathy (nerve damage). Neropathy causes diabetes patients to have numbness and tingling in the feet. If you happen to have a sore, or cut on your foot, you might not feel it. This will increase your risk for infections on the feet, and in turn, can cause further infection throughout the body. Make sure that you do a checkover frequently so the start of infections on the feet is more controlled and limited.

Diabetes can change the way your feet are and feel...the things you should do to ensure good footcare are:

*Inspect your feet to ensure there are no cuts or scraps

*Make sure you inspect the bottoms of your feet, not just the top

*Do a good wash to your feet on a daily basis

*Keep your toenails trimmed, and only trim them straight across

*Always ensure your footware is checked over and good to wear

*Wear shoes that are a good fit for you

There are also a few things that you should not do to your feet. First, you should avoid soaking your feet and stay away from any extreme temperatures, counting water temperature. Secondly, do not walk barefoot anywhere, as this increases your chances for cuts, which may lead to infections.

Take footcare seriously and ensure daily care is given to your feet