Diabetic Foot Care

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Good foot care if of vital importance to every diabetic. A foot injurycan lead to infection, gangrene, or worst of all, amputation or death.There are lots of common sense ways to protect your feet and to makesure they are in the best condition possible. Here are a fewsuggestions:1. Never wear open toed sandals or flip flops. Sure, they arecute and look comfortable, but they are not a good idea for thediabetic. These shoes offer no protection from curbs, table legs, sharpobjects, or other people's feet stomping on yours! Wearing these typesof shoes leaves you wide open to the possibility of injury. Diabeticsare prone to infection, and an infected, stubbed toe can lead to severecomplications. Protect your feet by wearing shoes that cover your toes.2. Wear comfortable shoes that fit well. Shoes that have good insoles,strong but flexible outer soles and are made of breathable leather arepreferable to those composed of man-made materials. You will need tomake sure that the shoes support your feet and don't have any pressurepoints that could cause blisters. If you do develop a blister, do notpuncture it! Call your doctor or nurse to ask how to treat it. To besure you are wearing the best possible shoe for you, you may wish tocheck into the companies that custom-make shoes for the diabetic.3. Never go bare foot! If you simply can't stand to wear regularshoes inside the house, invest in a pair of comfortable, closed-toeslippers. Don't even step outside to get the newspaper without shoes.If you are going to the beach or for a swim in the lake, make sure youhave some sort of comfortable tennis or beach shoes to wear. Remember,all it takes is one cut or puncture to cause a serious infection for adiabetic. 4. Wash your feet every day in warm water with a mild soap. Drywith a soft towel, and make sure to dry between the toes. Carefullyexamine every inch of your feet -- look for blisters, cracks, cuts orbruises. If the skin is dry or flaky, use a good, super-fatted lotion.Never apply the lotion between your toes. 5. Examine your feet every day. Use a mirror if necessary sothat you can check the soles of your feet. If you suffer from anydegree of nerve damage, you may not be aware that you have injured yourfeet -- this is one good reason why it is important to check your feeton a regular basis. 6. When clipping your toenails, be sure to cut straight across,and not too close to the toe. You may wish to gently file the nailswith an emery board. If you develop an ingrown toenail, you will needto see your doctor.Remember, if your feet or toes are injured in any way, see yourdoctor for immediate treatment. He or she can also give you more ideason how to properly care for your feet, and the American DiabetesAssociation has some excellent literature on diabetic foot care: checkout their web site if you get a chance.