Q. Why is it so important for diabetics to get regular foot care?
A: Diabetes can affect your feet in many different ways. Diabetes can cause nerve damage (neuropathy), changes in your skin, foot ulcers and poor circulation. Each of these changes can affect your everyday life. A foot ulcer that is left too long uncared for can result in serious consequences such as infection, sepsis (infection of the blood) and Osteomyelitis (infection of the bone). These types of infection are very serious on their own. When paired with diabetes and the possibility of poor circulation, a diabetic ulcer has a higher chance of ending up in an amputation if left untreated.
If you are a diabetic we strongly encourage receiving regular foot care by a registered Chiropodist. At the bare minimum we recommend that all diabetic check their feet once a day! If you are unable to get down to the level of your feet (to see the bottoms) we suggest using a small mirror!