Diabetes is managed by medication, exercises, dieting and change in lifestyle. However, patient education becomes an integral part of diabetes management since without proper understanding of how to go about taking good care of self, diabetes can still lead to other serious complications. One major challenge that diabetes patients have to deal with is the increased risk of developing an infection.

 

The injury may start like a small wound after a soft tissue injury (usually on the foot) and since diabetic patients are less sensitive, the injury may go unnoticed until it develops to a serious infection or a gangrene may form and if no timely intervention is done, it can eventually lead to a leg amputation.

 

All diabetic patients should be taught the importance of taking good care of their feet and especially so, among the high risk diabetic patients. Some of the characteristics of high risk patients include;

 

How to Take Proper Care of Your Feet

To minimize the chances of getting an injury, patients should take good care of their feet. If you are not taking good care of your feet, you are at risk of getting injured and maybe, acquiring an infection that could, in the worst case scenerio, eventually lead to an amputation.

 

Always Wear Foot Wear - Whether you are just walking on your backyard or doing something indoor, make sure you have your feet protected. You never know, something might have dropped on the floor that would injure your foot. Always make sure you are protecting your feet, whether indoors or outdoors.

 

Inspect Your Feet Daily - Checking your feet daily will help you in noticing an injury that you may not be aware of and to seek medical attention early in the course. Most diabetic patients are less sensitive and an injury may have occured, yet they are are not even aware of it. In additional to daily self- inspection of the feet, your feet need to be inspected by a medical professional during every health care visit.

 

Dry your Feet Properly - Dry your feet properly after a bath or after applying some lotion to make sure no water or moisture is left, especially in between the toes.

 

Wear Well Fitting Shoes - Make sure the shoes that you are wearing is not too tight to give room for your toes to breathe and to avoid blisters formation.

 

Do Not Soak Your Feet - Soaking your feet may make your skin more vulnerable to tear and it may lead to dryness and cracking of the skin.

 

Exercises - Simple leg exercises may helps in improving circulation and to prevent further complications.

 

Avoid Smoking and Control Your Blood Sugar - Blood glucose tends to increase with an infection and maintaining blood glucose at an acceptable level is important to promote faster would healing. Smoking only make the infection worse and it puts you at a higher risk of acquiring other serious medical conditions.

 

Do Not Self Medicate - Avoid home remedies or over the counter medications that claim to treat foot problems and instead, seek medical help if you suspect you are having a leg injury or an infection.