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Why Diabetic Foot Care Is Important

Neuhaus Foot & Ankle Blog Why Diabetic Foot Care Is Important
Why Diabetic Foot Care Is Important

For the more than 38 million Americans who have a diabetes diagnosis, life can become more challenging, largely due to the serious complications associated with the chronic disease.

As podiatrists, our extensive team at Neuhaus Foot and Ankle wants to focus on one complication in particular — diabetic foot ulcers. Since June is National Wound Healing Awareness Month, we thought it would be a good time to review why targeted diabetic foot care is so critical.

Diabetes and the health of your feet

We first want to set the stage as to why your feet (as well as your ankles and lower legs) are prone to complications when you have diabetes. 

With diabetes, you have high levels of glucose in your bloodstream thanks to a lack of insulin or insulin resistance. These high blood sugar levels can lead to nerve damage (peripheral neuropathy) in your lower limbs and, as a result, you might not feel it when you injure your feet.

While this compilation is concerning enough, even more worrisome is that diabetes can lead to circulation issues as your blood vessels narrow and harden over time. As a result, your body can struggle to deliver critical healing resources, especially in areas far from your heart, like your feet.

This slower-than-normal healing allows bacteria to invade the wound, creating an infection that can spread. To illustrate the seriousness of this complication, let’s look at some jarring numbers — diabetic foot ulcers develop in about 1.6 million Americans each year. Half of these ulcers become infected, and 20% of these infections end with partial or complete amputation.

How diabetic foot care can make a difference

If you want to avoid the potentially life-changing foot complications that are associated with diabetes, it’s important that you make diabetic foot care a regular part of your overall wellness regimen.

During these visits, we review ways in which you can protect your feet, such as wearing shoes at all times and performing daily foot checks.

We also perform a thorough check of your feet. If we spot something concerning, we can take immediate action before that unfortunate cascade of events we outlined above has a chance to begin.

Our close monitoring of your feet allows us to track and slow nerve and circulation issues that might place your feet at greater risk for diabetic foot ulcers.

During these visits, we can handle routine issues that require a higher standard of care for people with diabetes, such as:

These seemingly minor issues can be highly problematic when you have diabetes, as you want to avoid wounds on your lower limbs and feet.

So, if you have diabetes and you want an experienced and skilled foot health team in your corner, look no further than Neuhaus Foot & Ankle. To schedule your diabetic foot care, simply contact one of our 18 locations in Tennessee to make an appointment.

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