Diabetes is a key risk factor for developing foot ulcers, which are open sores or wounds caused by the tissue of the skin breaking down and opening up to the layers underneath. Not only does diabetes elevate your risk of experiencing this kind of foot wound, but it also increases your chances of developing serious complications as a result of chronic foot ulcers that wound heal.
If you want to know how to protect your feet from diabetic foot ulcers and their potential complications, the team at Alliance Foot and Ankle Specialists in Tarrant County is here to help. While not all diabetic foot ulcers can be prevented, there are things you can do to help minimize your risk and protect your feet. Below, our Dallas, TX, diabetic wound care specialists provide key tips and strategies you can use to help protect yourself against diabetic foot ulcers.
Risk Factors for a Diabetic Foot Ulcer
The fact that you have diabetes doesn’t mean that diabetic foot wounds are inevitable. After all, not every diabetic will develop a foot ulcer. Approximately 15 percent of diabetic patients develop this type of wound, with around six percent needing to be hospitalized due to infection or complication and even more potentially facing amputation. Protecting your feet starts with understanding the factors that lead to an elevated risk of diabetic foot ulcers. Key risk factors include:
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Elevated blood sugar
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Poor circulation in the legs and feet
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Reduced or diminished sensation in the feet
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Diabetic nerve damage, including peripheral neuropathy
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Thinning skin due to aging
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Wearing shoes that are too tight or cause blisters
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Failing to wash and dry the feet properly
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Being overweight
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Consuming too much alcohol
Ways to Prevent Diabetic Foot Ulcers and Protect Your Feet
There are a number of things you can do to help prevent diabetic foot wounds and their potential complications. Our Dallas, TX, diabetic wound care specialists encourage you to work proactively to manage your diabetes and overall health, as well as to develop lifestyle habits that will help you protect your feet against diabetic foot ulcers. Key tips include:
Manage Your Blood Sugar Level
Properly managing your blood sugar per your doctor’s recommendations is an important key to preventing diabetic foot wounds. Having high or uncontrolled blood sugar is a primary reason that people with diabetes have a high risk of developing foot wounds that won’t heal. High blood sugar leads to nerve damage, which leads to the reduced sensation that can keep you from noticing wounds on your feet before serious complications have set in. Failing to manage blood sugar is a mistake that can lead to serious consequences for diabetic feet.
Check Your Feet Daily
Early identification of foot concerns is key to all aspects of diabetic foot health. This is why it’s so important for people who have diabetes to examine their feet every day. Our Dallas, TX, diabetic wound care specialists recommend that patients with diabetes take the time to look for any cuts, bruises, blisters, signs of infection, or other problems daily.
Learning how to properly perform a diabetic foot care self-exam and doing so every day is an important aspect of including foot wound prevention and management. Developing this daily habit will help you become aware of foot health concerns or wounds as soon as they begin to develop, which means that you will be able to seek treatment before they become severe or chronic. If you see any open areas on your feet that aren’t healing quickly, we encourage you to contact our office to have your feet checked by one of our doctors.
Keep Your Feet Clean and Dry
Foot hygiene plays an important role in preventing diabetic foot ulcers and their complications. People with diabetes should wash and dry their feet every day, though they should be sure the water isn’t too hot to avoid accidental burns. It’s a good idea to get into the habit of doing this just before or just after you complete your daily diabetic foot care exams.
Always check the water temperature with your hands since your feet might not be as sensitive to temperatures as they were before you had diabetes. After washing your feet, dry them completely. Make sure the skin between and under your toes is dried well because moisture that gets left behind can cause fungal infections that can lead to foot ulcers.
Properly Moisturize Your Skin
Dry skin is a common concern for people with diabetes, so moisturizing is an important aspect of appropriate skincare for this medical condition. Our Tarrant County podiatrists emphasize the importance of diabetic dry skin care as an important aspect of foot wound prevention because dry cracked skin is particularly susceptible to abrasions and other injuries.
With this in mind, it’s important to apply a thin layer of lotion to the tops and bottoms of your feet daily. It’s a good idea to get in the habit of doing this after you wash and dry your feet. Take care to avoid putting lotion between your toes, as this can create more moisture and lead to an infected wound.
Trim Your Toenails
Trimming your toenails properly and regularly is also an important aspect of foot care and wound prevention for diabetics. Keeping your toenails at an appropriate length can help keep you from developing ingrown toenails, which are particularly risky for people with diabetes. You should cut the nail straight across and file the edges with a nail file or emery board, taking special care not to cut your skin or to cut any of your nails too short.
Make Sure Shoes and Socks Fit Properly
When you have diabetes, shoe choice is crucial. Only wear shoes that fit correctly and are comfortable, as footwear that is too tight or too loose can rub your feet and cause sores. It’s also a good idea to wear padded socks made of acrylic or acrylic blends to protect your feet and keep moisture away from your delicate skin.
Be sure to check inside your shoes before you put them on to make sure there are no rough spots and that the lining is smooth. Even a small bump or crease inside your shoe might start the beginning of a diabetic foot ulcer, so taking a few minutes each morning to make sure your socks aren’t bunched up in any spots could prevent ulcers or even amputation.
Avoid Walking Barefoot
Having the right shoes matters, but so does actually wearing them! A diabetic should never walk barefoot, even at home. Footwear is important for diabetics all the time; it plays an important role in foot protection. Bumping or stubbing your toes could cause wounds. If you have reduced sensation in your feet, as many diabetics do, you could end up injuring your feet as a result of walking barefoot on hot pavement without even realizing that you’ve been burned.
Move to Help Boost Circulation
The more sedentary you are, the greater your risk of developing diabetic foot ulcers. Incorporating regular movement into your lifestyle can help you mitigate this risk. Not only that, but regular exercise can also improve your circulation and help with diabetes management.
Activity doesn’t have to be high-impact to make a difference; even simple, low- to no-impact movements can help you protect your feet. For example, you could start by exercising your feet and ankles two or three times a day, such as by wiggling your toes and moving your ankles up and down for five minutes each time. Additionally, if you sit for long periods of time, elevate your feet periodically and avoid sitting with your legs crossed.
Adopt Healthy Lifestyle Practices
Striving to maintain a healthy weight and taking steps to eliminate habits that put your health at risk, can help you protect your feet and improve your overall health. For example, you probably know that nutrition is important to diabetes management, but did you know that it also plays an important role in wound healing? That’s right; eating a healthy diet can help prevent foot ulcers and their complications.
Undesirable habits like smoking or excessive drinking are barriers to foot health. If you drink a lot or smoke cigarettes, giving up these habits can reduce your risk of diabetic foot ulcers and have other positive impacts on your overall health. If you smoke, talk to your primary care provider about starting a program to help you stop smoking.
Recognizing Diabetic Foot Ulcer Symptoms
While taking steps to protect your feet and prevent foot ulcers can reduce your risk, it’s not always possible to prevent an ulcer from forming. That’s why it’s so important for people with diabetes to know how to recognize the symptoms of a foot ulcer. Common symptoms include:
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Seeing blood or drainage on your socks
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Redness or swelling
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A foul odor
If you notice any of these symptoms, it’s essential to seek medical attention for your foot wound right away. If a foot ulcer does not heal or goes untreated, the risk of developing an infection is high. Complications from a foot infection can lead to serious medical conditions, blood infections, and even amputation of the affected foot or toe. The earlier you see our Dallas, TX, diabetic wound care specialists, the better your chances of healing without experiencing complications.
