Due to the fact that with diabetes there is a high risk of developing foot gangrene and, as a result, limb amputations, each patient should be familiar with a complex of preventive measures that can reduce it. These measures can be represented as simple rules for foot care.
The Don’ts
Don’ts must be observed to prevent possible damage to the feet.
First of all, you should not use any sharp objects (scissors, corn knives, razor blades, forceps) when caring for the nails and skin of the feet. This is one of the most common causes of injury, especially since with reduced pain sensitivity, you may not notice it. If your feet are cold, you should not warm them with heating pads, electric heaters or steam heating batteries. Temperature sensitivity can be reduced, and a person will not feel a burn.
For the same reason, you cannot take hot foot baths (water temperature should not be higher than 40 degrees).
Don’t use sharp objects!
It is not recommended to walk barefoot, as there is a high risk of injury and simultaneous infection. On the beach you need to wear bathing slippers, as well as protect your feet from sunburn.
Uncomfortable (tight, rubbing) shoes should be discarded and high-heeled shoes should not be worn. Never wear shoes on your bare foot. You should be careful about new shoes: for the first time wear them for no more than one hour and in no case wear shoes that are too small. Open shoes are also not recommended, which creates additional opportunities for injuries, especially sandals or sandals with a strap extending between the toes.
Smoking impairs the blood supply to the legs!
If there are corns on your legs, you should not try to get rid of them with a corn patch or special ointments and fluids, because these products contain substances that damage the skin.
When treating foot injuries, iodine, alcohol and potassium permanganate cannot be used. They are contraindicated due to the fact that they worsen the healing of wounds, in addition, by themselves, they can cause a burn, as well as stain the wound, hiding the ongoing process. Also, you cannot use ordinary adhesive tape to close the damage.
You should not smoke, as this further impairs the blood supply to the legs.
The Do’s
The do’s are those recommendations that a person should follow with proper foot care:
It is necessary to wash your feet daily, after washing them you need to wipe them dry without rubbing, but wet your skin, especially in the interdigital spaces. Socks or stockings should also be changed daily.
If your feet are cold, you need to warm them with warm socks of the appropriate size and without tight elastic bands. It is necessary to ensure that socks do not stray in shoes.
Wash your feet daily!
Wear special silver socks designed for people with diabetes.
Shoes should be spacious with a soft insole. It is necessary to make it a rule to check the inner surface of the shoe before putting it on: whether any foreign objects that could injure the leg are inside, whether the insole is wrapped, or if cloves appear.
Every day you need to carefully examine the feet, especially the plantar surface. Older people and overweight people may be advised to use a mirror mounted on the floor. As a last resort, ask for an inspection of your relatives. This procedure allows you to in a timely detect wounds, cracks, abrasions.
Examine the feet every day!
If the skin of the legs is dry, moisturize (but not at the interdigital spaces) with oily cream or oil. Especially for people with diabetes, a foot cream has been developed that provides daily reliable foot protection for diabetes.
Even minor injuries are recommended to be shown to the doctor, however the patient should be able to render first aid on his own. A wound or crack found during examination of the foot should be washed with a disinfectant solution, which should be in the patient’s first-aid kit. To do this, you can use a solution of dioxidine (available at any pharmacy) or hydrogen peroxide. It makes no sense to treat the wounds with insulin, it does not have any healing effect. The washed wound must be covered with a sterile dressing or temporarily with a bactericidal adhesive plaster.
Injuries are recommended to be shown to the doctor
Nail treatment should only be done with a nail file. The edge of the nail should be filed horizontally, leaving the corners intact. If you cut the corners of the nail or round them off too much with a file, this can lead to the formation of the so-called ingrown nail, which will require a long special treatment.
For people with diabetes, pumice is the most appropriate way to remove corns and areas of excessive keratinization of the skin.