The Importance of Foot Care if You're a Diabetic

In patients living with chronic diabetes, care of the legs and feet can be a very important part of daily routines. That’s because living with chronic diabetes can cause nerve damage, resulting in the loss of sensation in the legs and feet. 

Without the right diabetic foot care, and regular checks, minor problems like scratches and blisters can become serious problems like infections in diabetic patients.

For the care and support you need to protect yourself while living with diabetes, get in touch with The Foot Care Group of Hinsdale, Libertyville, and the Streeterville community of Chicago, Illinois, this summer. Board-certified podiatrist Dr. Steven Sharlin can preserve your foot health, even after diabetes-related nerve damage.

Diabetes, nerve damage, and your feet

If you have diabetes, you may experience prolonged periods of high blood sugar, or blood glucose, due to issues with how your body processes energy from food and other sources. If your blood sugar is too high for too long, you can experience nerve damage, especially in your feet and legs.

You might be insensitive to pain, heat, or cold in your feet. Some patients also experience tingling sensations as a result of nerve damage. Diabetes causes many patients to suffer from serious injuries and lasting complications in the legs and feet.

Without pain signals to let you know about problems or injuries in your feet, preventing injuries from becoming serious is all on you, and the care and attention you give your feet. If injuries go untreated, you could eventually need an amputation. Dr. Sharlin can help you plan for handling your diabetes-related nerve damage and protecting your feet.

Taking proactive steps

Preserve your quality of life and whole-body health by keeping your feet healthy, well-cared-for, and thoroughly checked.

Diabetic foot care at The Foot Care Group covers the extra, proactive steps you’ll need to take as someone living with diabetes-related nerve damage, in order to keep common foot injuries from becoming serious. Dr. Sharlin may recommend:

• A comprehensive in-office exam of your feet, complete with X-rays and other imaging tests as needed
• At-home care routines to regularly clean and check your feet
• Custom orthotics to better support and protect your feet, made from models based on 3D scans of your unique foot shape
• Treatments for common diabetic foot injuries like ingrown toenails, calluses and corns, open sores, or diabetic foot ulcers
• Treatments for infected cuts or lesions, bacterial infections, slow-healing wounds, swollen feet, or gangrene, including foot surgery to avoid amputation
• Braces to take pressure off your feet so you can heal

For diabetic foot care you can always count on, get in touch with Dr. Sharlin and the team at The Foot Care Group today. You can schedule your appointment over the phone, or book online now.