What is diabetes? Diabetes is when your body can’t produce insulin properly or your body can’t produce insulin at all. Insulin regulates the amount of sugar (glucose) in your body.
Diabetes can cause a lot of health issues if you don’t get your insulin under control. One of those health issues has to do with your feet. Diabetes can cause nerve damage in the lower legs and feet. If you have a sore or even a minor cut on your foot, you may not feel this pain because the information isn’t getting to your brain. Therefore, it would be best if you took extra care regarding your foot health (especially in the winter).
RISK FACTORS
- Poor Winter Boots – Wearing winter boots that are poorly designed or have no insulation can hurt your feet. Boots that aren’t correctly designed for your feet can cause blisters, cuts and ulcers.
- Low Temperatures – People who have diabetes are at higher risk of progressing ulcers on their feet
- Dampness – With diabetes, you always want to keep your feet dry. In the winter, the weather is damper. Keeping your feet dry as much as possible will prevent bacteria from building up.
You should seek immediate treatment if you think you may have an ulcer on your foot.
Making Foot Care #1
People who have diabetes should make foot care their top priority. Some things you could check for are:
- Sores
- Cracks
- Dampness (your skin will look whiter and paler
- Cuts
You can also make yourself a foot care kit. Some things you could include are:
- Nail File
- Toe Clippers
- A Hand Mirror (if you can’t see the bottom of your feet)
- Warm socks (winter gets cold, keep your feet warm)
You could get yourself a pair of custom-made orthotics or compression stockings for the colder winter months.
COMPRESSION STOCKINGS
Is the cold air making your legs and feet swell? It would help if you looked into investing in a pair of compression stockings. Compression stockings help the blood flow through your legs and feet.
When getting compression stockings, you should get them custom-fitted, so you get the right amount of pressure to move the blood flow—people who have diabetes like wearing stockings all year round for this reason.
Custom-Made Orthotics
Custom-Made orthotics are great for people who have diabetes. You want a shoe that is not too tight around your foot. A tight shoe on your foot doesn’t help keep it warm. It will do more harm. Your foot won’t be able to breathe, which will cause slower circulation of blood to your foot.
That said, you don’t want a shoe too loose, either. Having a loose shoe could cause your foot to move around in your shoe, causing sores to your feet. Also, shoes that don’t fit properly can cause knee and back problems.
Your feet are an essential part of your body. Promote good healthy feet this winter.
