Six Tips to Help Avoid Diabetic Foot Ulcers

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When you are a diabetic, your blood sugar level is higher than it should be. This condition can cause complications to other parts of the body. The feet are the most prone to having other complications due to diabetes. Actually, diabetic foot ulcers are a leading cause of diabetic-related amputations. A small blister on the foot of somebody diabetic could result in another big problem that you could not imagine was as a result of the small blister. Luckily, such ulcers are preventable when you have diabetes and keep your feet safe as you strive to control your blood sugar levels. Below are some of these ways through which you can avoid diabetic foot ulcers.

Check Your Feet Every Day

Ideally, for people with diabetes, it may be hard for them to realize when there is pain on their feet due to the reduced sensitivity of the feet. For this reason, it is advisable to inspect your feet as often as possible. Look out for cracks, blisters, or cuts, among other signs of a wound. Touching the feet and lower legs will help you identify some of the unusual issues such as blisters on soles of feet, among other conditions that could need medical attention. Additionally, you could use a mirror or request help from somebody around. This way, it will be easier for you to seek medical help before it is too late.

Get The Right Shoes

The shoes that you wear have a big impact on the overall health of your feet. For this reason, if you have diabetes, you need to be more careful with the type of shoes that you wear. For instance, make sure that the shoes you have are tight enough to avoid rubbing on the skin, thus causing blisters. However, they should also be loose enough to avoid crowding the toes as this will also increase the risk. Consider going for shoes that are made for the fit, size, and shape of your feet to help ensure that your feet are comfortable. It is also paramount that your shoes have breathable fabrics. 

Prevent Feet Infection

Unlike the case of healthy people, an infection on your feet when you have diabetes could cause a lot of trouble for you. For this reason, you need to make sure that your feet are free from infections. Embrace tips that will help keep your feet safe. For instance, making sure that your feet are always clean. When cleaning the feet, use lukewarm water and not hot water as this could cause blisters. It is also important to ensure that your feet are always dry, especially between the toes. Prevent yourself from simple injuries by ensuring that you always have shoes or socks on your feet, thus preventing infections.  

Keep The Feet Hydrated

Typically, drying your feet is necessary to help keep them safe. However, when the feet are excessively dry, this could end up causing more harm than good. For instance, you could end up developing blisters on the feet. Use lotion to help ensure that your feet are moisturized. 

 

Eat Right

What you eat determines the overall health of your body. In the same way, when trying to avoid diabetics feet ulcers, then you need to watch what you are eating. In this case, you need to think more about the minerals and foods that help promote faster healing. Additionally, ensure that your meals are balanced diets that are high in legumes, lean proteins, and fiber as this will all help in building the body. Vitamins and minerals such as zinc, copper, and iron will also help in the growth of such body tissues. Therefore, strive to avoid the deficiency of such products to make healing faster.  

Get Regular Checkups

As mentioned above, a minor problem on the feet could result in another bigger and more complicated problem. Like in any other case, identifying the problem early enough will help increase the chances of solving it. Therefore, as much as you are also checking on your feet from time to time, it is advisable to get go for regular checkups. Additionally, contact your doctor in case you realize some signs such as redness on the feet, severe pain, pus coming out of the wound, among other signs. It will be easier for the doctor to advise on the right thing to do when they realize such problems early enough.

Foot ulcers are a common reason for diabetic patients to be in the hospital from time to time. For this reason, as you strive to control diabetes, pay more attention to the health of your feet. Above are some of these ways through which you can keep your feet free from ulcers and more so when you have diabetes. 

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