Diabetes is a blood sugar problem that is primarily associated with genetic susceptibility, today’s sedentary lifestyle, lack of enough exercises, obesity, and consumption of processed foods. For a patient with diabetes, having excess glucose in the blood can cause serious foot problems and complications including peripheral vascular diseases, diabetic neuropathy, fungal infections of nails, athlete’s foot, corns, and calluses.
In addition, diabetes damages the blood vessel and nerves in your feet. Below we have listed some of the foot complications caused by diabetes and 9 Best Healing Foot Care Remedies for Diabetic Foot view and follow them to ensure your feet are healthy.
Some of Foot Complications Caused by Diabetes
Skin Changes
Diabetes causes cracked and dry skin in the feet area, and it changes the color of your feet; pale blue color appears due to insufficient blood flow to the foot. When the level of the blood sugar is high, your body loses a lot of fluid. This is because your body tries to transform the available water into urine so as to get rid of excess sugar from your body. Consequently, one tends to sweat less, causing the skin around the feet and legs to dry. Note that sweating helps to keep your skin soft and moist, and when it stops, the skin dries up and start cracking. The cracked area on your skin raises the risk of let in germs hence causing infections.
Neuropathy is also called peripheral neuropathy. Neuropathy is a result of repetitive injury, physical trauma, metabolic problems, and infection. Toxins and some drugs can also cause neuropathy. It damages the nerves of your legs, decreases the ability to feel pain, heat, and cold. Another disease like HIV, liver disease, kidney disease, and cancer can also cause neuropathy.
Calluses
Calluses on your foot refer to the thickened part of your skin. They are round in shape. And mostly form on the bony areas underneath your toes. It leads to diabetic feet pain that is as result of too much pressure on your skin. Rubbing and pressure cause calluses. Poorly fitting footwear cause calluses on your toes, excessive running also causes calluses underneath your feet.
People with skin deformities and thin skin are at high risk of getting calluses. However, the listed foot care remedies for diabetic foot will help you decrease the risk of developing calluses and reduce its impact on your life. Do not ignore the calluses on you because they can result in diabetic foot ulcers.
Poor Circulation
Poor circulation occurs when various parts of your body do not receive enough blood flow. For diabetic patients, high levels of blood glucose damage the blood vessels. Diabetes causes a formation of plaques on the wall of the blood vessels in your foot and this hinders efficient blood supply to the foot. Poor circulation of blood causes serious foot problems. Symptoms that indicate that one has poor blood circulation includes cold feet, pale blue leg skin color, numb feet, hair loss on your feet, cracked feet and vulnerable toenails.
Foot ulcer
Diabetic foot ulcer is the most known complication of diabetes mellitus and the biggest diabetes problem on a patient’s foot. Smoking, peripheral artery disease, diabetic neuropathy and poor glycemic control increases the risk of foot ulcers, but excessive blood pressure on your feet, which is caused by diabetes, also cause foot ulcer. But if you follow the foot care remedies for diabetic foot listed below, you will be able to prevent foot ulcer.
The 9 Best Healing Foot Care Remedies for Diabetic Foot
Look over them daily
It is good to give diabetic feet attention by going over them every day before sleeping to see whether there are signs of sores, blisters, scrapes or cuts that can lead to significant problems. If there is any abnormality, it is good to see a doctor. Do not treat any of these by yourself as this may cause huge problems. Checking your feet is one most important tip on Foot Care Remedies for Diabetic Foot that diabetic patient should follow.
Wash and dry your Feet properly
Clean feet are healthy feet. You can reduce diabetic foot infections by regular cleaning them. Most people even the health conscious do not wash their feet properly and this is a huge problem especially for people with diabetes. Wash your feet well-giving attention to areas between your toes as this will reduce the risk of infection. When you wear the shoes, sweat and moisture increase the risk of bacterial infection. Lack of cleaning the feet daily will cause foot odor, fungal infections, and skin problems.
Choose Shoes Carefully
Diabetic patients should select a comfortable shoe so as care their feet. Choose diabetic socks which fit loosely and change them daily. Select the shoes that fit both of your feet and will not sores or blisters on your feet. If you have foot ulcers choose the footwear that decreases the chance of foot ulcers in the near future. A good footwear does not increase pressure on your feet and improves your steps.
Go for check-ups
Most diabetic patients develop feet problem that needs professional medical attention. Visit your doctor regularly to prevent the diseases and to keep your feet healthy.
Use Moisturizer on your feet
It is very easy to cure dry foot skin related with diabetes by moisturizing them regularly. Wear sandals during hot days to lower the risk of feet problems. Select a cream that is rich in vitamin E and antioxidants as this will help in reducing the generation of free radicals that will damage your skin cells. Vitamin E will repair and protect your skin. Do not forget to use the cream daily.
Walk
For your foot muscle to remain active for long period, you need regular exercise. Walking will put pressure on your foot, which is essential to strengthening the leg muscles and will help to keep your tendons and ligaments flexible, and it helps one to recover sensation in the feet and also improves blood circulation.
Vitamin B complex
Lack of Vitamin B12 will cause diabetic neuropathy, memory loss, dementia, and anemia. In a diabetic patient, high intake of vitamin E will help to control the normal functioning of your blood cells, effectively averting the development of feet problems.
Quit Smoking
Smoking runs from the head to the feet. The nicotine in the cigarette will decrease the circulation of blood in your skin. Diabetic patients should quit smoking to reduce further complications of their blood vessels.
Do not use hot tubs
When you are diabetic and you develop neuropathy or nerve damage, it will be hard for you to tell if the water is too hot. Check the temperature of your bath before stepping on the water this will prevent serious damage on the feet. You can use the elbow to check the bath temperature.
Conclusion
The above tips will help you to increase the healthy life of your feet and also to prevent foot diseases. Which tips do you find most useful? Feel free to leave your comment below.
Resources
- Diabetic Foot Pain and Ulcers: Causes and Treatment by Steven Kim, MD.
- Diabetes and Wounds: Caring for Sores by Lisa Fields.
- 11 Tips for Good Diabetes Foot Care By Madeline R. Vann, MPH.
- Diabetic Ulcers Treatment & Management by Vincent Lopez Rowe, MD.
- Diabetic Foot Ulcer; causes and Care
- 7 Diabetic Foot Care Tips – EbestProducts By HomeYog.
About The Author:
I’m Megan Ann, mama to 2 and wife to James F. Core. I love meeting new people and hearing their stories. I try to write useful and informative articles to help you as much as I can with my knowledge about health and beauty. My Blog: Meganannblog.com
