In Diabetes Always careful with your feet!

Diabetics need to protect their feet from injury
Diabetes causes advanced wound healing impairments, which can cause significant complications, even with minor injuries. Especially on the feet of such injuries are often delayed, also because the perception of pain through the nerve damage in the course of the disease subsides. Diabetics should therefore pay special attention to their feet.

As a result of circulatory disorders and nerve damage (diabetic neuropathy), diabetics often do not perceive pain in the feet. Small lesions go unnoticed, can easily inflame due to poor wound healing, and may result in infection that causes ulceration and, in the worst case, may require foot amputation. People with diabetes are therefore urged to pay particular attention to their feet. Even with minor injuries and injuries diabetics should visit a doctor promptly, advises the diabetologist Professor Hellmut Mehnert in the online edition of "Ärzte Zeitung".

Various tests can be used to check the pain perception in the feet. In diabetics, it is often significantly reduced. (Image: Visionary / fotolia.com)

Avoid injuries to the feet
According to the expert, various measures can minimize the risk of injury to the feet. For example, people with diabetes should not wear tight shoes, and when buying new shoes, make sure they are wide enough. Mehnert advises to try on the shoes in the afternoon, because then the feet are often already swollen compared to the morning. Also, under certain circumstances, the use of insole may be useful. Rough stockings, on the other hand, are unsuitable for those affected because of the increased risk of blisters or abrasions. Basically, the expert recommends diabetics to inspect their feet daily and to check for injuries or blisters. A mirror can also be used to cast a glance under the soles of the feet.

Gentle care for the feet
In the case of diabetes, pediatric care is more important, and feet are best washed daily with lukewarm water, the expert reports. Hard brushes and heavy scrubbing should be avoided. As injuries also threaten when cutting the toenails, Prof. Mehnert advises as much as possible to file and not to cut. The professional foot care by a specialist offers here the ideal solution. Not least, the diabetologist recommends those affected to control their weight. Many diabetics are overweight. The daily weighing in the morning with the appropriate documentation of the results allows the development to be kept in view. (Fp)