When you have diabetes, you know how vital it is to see your family doctor regularly. During routine appointments, your doctor will examine your blood sugar levels and overall health. However, extra professionals on your diabetes management team are essential, especially as you age. And one of those doctors should be a podiatrist. Although most people know diabetes affects a patient’s blood sugar, the condition also affects other body parts, such as the heart, kidneys, and lower extremities.
Diabetes causes impaired circulation and blood flow and nerve damage over time. Managing diabetes frequently entails more than just checking your blood sugar levels. In this blog, you will learn why having a foot care specialist for diabetes in Columbia for your team is critical to the patient’s long-term health.
Understanding The Most Prevalent Diabetic Foot Issues
Nerve injury is one of the most prevalent diabetic consequences. While nerve injury can occur everywhere in the body, it most commonly manifests in the foot. You may have decreased blood flow and sensation when your feet’ nerves are damaged. This raises your chances of obtaining wounds or sores without experiencing any discomfort. You can’t properly care for them if you don’t notice cuts or wounds.
Untreated foot wounds can lead to diabetic foot ulcers, abscesses, or infections such as cellulitis and osteomyelitis. Poor blood flow to your foot indicates that the tissue may not receive enough oxygen to heal wounds rapidly. If you get a wound, it may heal slowly or not at all. Injuries that heal slowly put you at risk for gangrene and other dangerous problems. Some people with diabetes develop Charcot foot, a weakening of the foot bones caused by substantial nerve loss.
This disorder can cause fractures and cause your foot to change shape over time. Without regular care and medical evaluations, your feet might sustain substantial damage, necessitating amputation of one or more toes or the entire foot to avoid further difficulties.
Reasons to Have a Podiatrist for the Diabetes Treatment Team
- A Podiatrist Provides Preventive Care
Diabetes sometimes increases your chances of developing foot ulcers and problems that limit your mobility. However, collaborating with podiatry professionals ensures you know to keep your feet as healthy as possible. Preventive therapy, such as frequent foot exams, is the most effective strategy to avoid diabetic foot complications. Regular diabetic foot assessments should be included in your routine health visits.
- A Podiatrist Manages Diabetic Foot Issues
If you develop foot difficulties due to diabetes, our podiatry team can help. We collaborate with you to assist your body in healing and fighting illness. You may be confident that you will receive the best foot care available if you have a podiatrist on your diabetic care team.
Diabetes neuropathy is a type of nerve injury that primarily affects the feet. This condition can cause tingling, burning, or pins and needles sensations. It can cause numbness in your feet in some circumstances. Diabetes complications can be controlled with medication and lifestyle adjustments to lower the risk of a foot injury.
- Performing Regular Toenail Care
Keeping your toenails short and straight throughout, rather than rounding and cutting corners, lowers your chances of ingrown toenails and cuts and bruises around the nail. If your nails are hard, thick, yellowing, or other mobility concerns make proper toenail care difficult, consult your podiatrist about arranging regular appointments.
- Taking Care Of Problems As They Arise
Your podiatrist may evaluate your shoes for proper fit or recommend prescription diabetic footwear if you have bruises, blisters, or redness. Your doctor can also change your socks daily and to wear socks made of natural fibers, which are better for your skin. Your doctor may also trim corns and calluses as needed, which you should never try to do at home. This decreases the danger of skin breakdown and infection by reducing friction and rubbing.
Final Words
Having a podiatry service in Columbia on your diabetes management team, like Columbia Foot Care services, is critical to your treatment’s success. You will find the number of trained nurses who provide complete foot care for diabetic and non-diabetic patients. You can schedule an appointment with Columbia Foot Care by visiting their website.