Early prevention of amputations in diabetics begins with medical management including a regimen of eating a healthy diet, doing regular exercise, blood sugar monitoring and adherence to a prescribed medication regimen. Preventing foot ulcers in diabetics is a key component to amputation prevention and begins with proper foot care.
Proper Diabetic Foot Care
- Inspect your feet daily checking for blisters, cuts, cracks, sores, redness, tenderness or swelling.
- Wash your feet daily. Use a pumice stone to gently rub the skin where calluses easily form and if this fails, calluses-are best removed by your podiatrist or doctor as self removal could result in injury to the skin
- Trim your toenails straight across and file sharp ends with an emery board. Ask for assistance from a caregiver if you are unable to do this or your podiatrist
- Avoid going barefoot – to prevent injury to your feet.
- Wear clean, dry socks and buy shoes that fit properly.
Your podiatrist or doctor may recommend specially designed shoes that fit the exact shape of your feet, cushion your feet and evenly distribute weight on your feet. Schedule regular foot checkups with your podiatrist at least once a year or more often if recommended.
Contact your doctor or podiatrist if you have a foot sore that doesn’t begin to heal within a few days or if you discover blisters, redness, or swelling.