A diabetic foot is any pathology that results from peripheral artery disease and sensory neuropathy affecting feet in diabetes mellitus. It is a long-term complication of diabetes mellitus. About 10 percent of diabetic patients develop ulcers and nearly 80 percent of the ulcers get infected.
A foot ulcer is a break in the skin or a deep sore which can become infected afterward. They can happen from the rubbing of the shoes that fit well. It is very important to treat them as soon as you notice them. It is best to ask your doctor for advice if you have a foot ulcer.
Symptoms of Diabetic Foot Problem
If you have diabetes and develop these symptoms then contact your doctor.
The symptoms are:
- Changes in skin color
- Changes in skin temperature
- Swelling in the foot
- Pain in the legs
- Open sores in the feet that heal slow
- Ingrowth of nails with fungus.
- Corns or calluses
- Dry cracks in the skin or the heel
Tips for diabetic foot care
- You need to take care of yourself and your diabetes. Follow your doctor’s advice regarding nutrition, medicine and exercise. Keep your sugar level in blood with the desired range
- Wash your foot in warm water using a mild soap.
- Check your foot for sores, blisters, redness, calluses, or any other problem. If you have poor blood flow you need to check with your doctor.
- If the skin on your feet is dry then apply lotion after you wash and dry your feet. Your doctor can tell what type of lotion is the best.
- Gently smooth calluses or corns with an empty board or pumice stone. Do this after your bath when the skin is soft.
- Protect your feet from hot or cold. Wear shoes on the hot pavement, wear socks if your feet are cold.
Complications of Diabetic Foot Problem
- Abscess – Sometimes infection eats into bones or tissue and creates a pocket of pus or abscess. The common form of treatment is to drain the abscess. It requires the removal of some bone, tissue or oxygen therapy in the affected area.
- Gangrene – When blood flow is cut off from an area of the foot, the tissue will die. Oxygen therapy or surgery to remove that area is the only way out.
- Amputation – Problem with blood flow and nerves makes it more likely for people with diabetes to get a foot injury and not realize that infection has set in at the injury site. When an infection cannot be healed leads to an abscess, or if blood flow is low leads to gangrene, then amputation is the best option for your surgeon.