Diabetes: Taking care of your feet
Why do I need to care for my feet?
You need to care for your feet because having diabetes for several years can:
- Damage the nerve endings in your feet. That means that you may not know when your feet are injured. Also, if your shoes don't fit properly, you may not feel any discomfort (even a blister). This nerve damage caused by diabetes in some people can lead to deformed feet that may not fit well into standard shoes.
- Damage blood vessels throughout the body. Damage to the vessels that carry blood to the feet and legs decreases blood flow to the feet. Small cuts, sores, and even ingrown toenails take longer to heal and are more likely to become infected because of the decreased blood flow to your feet.
- Affect your body's ability to fight infection. Even a small cut may become seriously infected because your immune system may not work as well as the immune system of someone who does not have diabetes.
The best way to avoid foot problems is to prevent them. That means taking care of your feet every day so that infections don't develop. If you develop good foot-care habits before you have foot problems, you will find it much easier to keep up the habit when you do have a problem.
You may not feel it when you have a small blister, cut, or scrape on your foot. If you check your feet every day, you'll find minor problems earlier. Have your doctor treat minor problems to prevent more serious ones later on.
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| Author: | Monica Rhodes | Last Updated: January 30, 2007 |
| Medical Review: | Ruth Schneider, MPH, RD - Diet and Nutrition Rhonda O'Brien, MS, RD, CDE - Diabetes Educator | |
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