5 Easiest Ways To Prevent Diabetic Foot Ulcer Now

A diabetic foot ulcer is the most common cause of amputation. It is defined simply as open sores or wounds that form on the hands and feet.

This happens mostly to people with diabetes because the nerves responsible for feeling pain in the limbs are destroyed.

Another reason is that diabetes is known to reduce blood flow into the limbs. Therefore, it is difficult to heal wounds

Because the nerves are damaged, it becomes difficult to notice any cuts or blisters. The poor circulation also deprives your feet of oxygen, thereby making wounds heal slowly.

When the wounds don’t heal as fast as they should, they then become easily infected. Then the infected wound develops into an ulcer or gangrene.

The infected wound then begins to spread quickly to other parts of the leg.

This is why some people with diabetes end up amputated.

According to research, up to 34% of those with diabetes will develop a foot ulcer. Among the 120,000 amputations performed in the United States, 80% of them are as a result of diabetes.

To prevent diabetic foot ulcers, you have to take necessary measures now.

I’ll explain five things you can do now to prevent diabetic foot ulcers.

1. Examine your feet at the end of every day

Because the nerves in the feet are damaged, it becomes very difficult, if not impossible, to notice you have any cut or wound.

That’s why you need to inspect your feet every day for any cuts, blisters, redness, or anything abnormal about your feet’ color.

If you can’t bend over to check your feet, you could use a mirror or call on someone to do the inspection for you.

Doing that every day would make you detect feet problems earlier enough before they became too serious

2. Keep feet clean at all times

With diabetes foot, the slightest mistake on your part would cause infection. That’s why cleaning your feet every day should be on your priority list.

Use mild soap and warm water to clean your feet and in-between your toes, then pat it dry.

You could then apply moisturizer to your feet. Remember not to moisturize in-between your toes, because doing that tends to make the place moist and breed bacteria.

Methylated spirit is also great to use if you sweat a lot in-between your toes. Just put enough into a cotton ball and then clean between your toes with it.

It is recommended that you consult your podiatrist for corns and calluses on the feet. Never use an over-the-counter medicine to treat hands and feet problems.

3. Wear breathable shoes and sock

Breathable shoes are shoes that are long enough, wide enough, and deep enough for your feet. The kind of material for the shoe is also something that you need to consider.

It is much better to wear shoes made of leather or cloth. Rubber shoes would make your feet sweaty and thereby encourage bacteria growth to form foot ulcers.

A simple trick is to shop for shoes in the evening because that’s when your feet are largest. You could also try the shoes on while wearing the socks you would pair them with.

Talking about shoes, strive to avoid open toes or sandals. Why? Because these kinds of footwear make it easy to hurt your feet without knowing.

And don’t forget to wiggle your shoes before you wear them, to get rid of pebbles that might cause cuts and wounds.

Using any of these tricks would ensure that you have your shoe in the right size and comfort.

4. Trim your toenail with care

Anyone who has diabetes should be careful when trimming the toenails to prevent ingrowth, which, when care is not taken, would cause an infection. Cut your nails straight across and file the edges.

Try not to cut the nail too short, as this could lead to ingrown toenails and lead to ulcers, and infections.

5. Protect your feet from extreme temperature

Studies have found that local areas in the body of increased temperatures are more likely to develop ulcers.

This suggests that monitoring the temperatures to which the feet are exposed can dramatically reduce the risk of developing a diabetic foot ulcer.

This is one of the reasons why people with diabetes are advised to avoid washing their feet with hot water.

They should also under no circumstance walk barefoot.

Take away

Diabetes foot is one of the very subtle complications, but then the effects are enormous.

To prevent diabetic foot ulcers and gangrene, it is recommended to examine your feet daily for any abnormalities, keep your feet clean at all times, avoid walking barefoot, trim your toenail the right way, and finally wear comfortable shoes.

Make it a point to see your foot doctor, also known as a podiatrist, every once in a while to make sure that your feet are in good shape.

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