Simple Home Diabetic Foot Exam

As a diabetic, it is important that you do a diabetic foot exam on your feet every day. First of all, as a diabetic, you should have a relationship with a podiatrist, or foot and ankle specialist, and he or she should have good communication with you and your primary care physician. As a team, the three of you can keep your diabetic feet healthy. Here are a few of the basic recommended things you can do at home to help with your diabetes foot care.

Daily foot exam: Take a look at your feet every day, top and bottom. It may be helpful to take a hand-held mirror and look at the bottom of your feet as well. You need to examine your feet every day and after any trauma you may experience no matter how minor you think it is. Trauma is just a fancy word for any sort of physical injury or bump to your feet. Tell your podiatrist about anything like this that happens.

Foot Cream: apply a moisturizing cream on your feet every day on the top and bottom of your feet, but never between your toes.

Socks: Avoid wearing tight elastic socks or nylons. They can cut off or impair your circulation without you being aware of it. Wear cotton or wool socks instead. Nylons can cause shearing and they trap moisture and do not allow your skin to breathe.

Clear the Area: Make sure the area where you walk is clear of clutter. get any items you're likely to trip over or bump into out of the way.

Footwear: Make sure to wear sturdy and comfortable shoes wherever possible to help protect your feet. You may qualify for diabetic shoes through the Medicare shoe program. At Prairie Path Foot and Ankle clinic and Schaumburg Foot and Ankle clinic, we are certified to fit our qualifying patients with Dr. Comfort brand shoes. Please visit our office in Elmhurst or Schaumburg Illinois to see if you qualify.

Taking these simple measures at home along with a comprehensive plan of diabetic footcare and surveillance with the help of your podiatrist will keep your feet healthy, and will keep you active and healthy.

Can I start an Exercise Program?

In my office, I see a lot of diabetics for preventative foot care, and each and every one of them inevitably will ask me my opinion on exercising and the proper way to start. If you have recently been diagnosed with diabetes, or if you are overweight, it is important to speak to your pirmary care doctor before you start and exercise program, no matter how slow you start out.
Here are some other tips to keep in mind as a diabetic:

-Make sure you have proper fitting shoes. Very often our patients have prescription accomodative orthotics, or insoles, in their shoes to prevent areas of pressure from building up. Also, many of our patients have prescription diabetic shoes, either walking shoes or gym shoes, that are fitted by our certified medical assistants to make sure there are no pressure spots. We urge our patients to break in the shoes by wearing them an hour or two and gradually increasing the time worn each day, inspecting your feet for areas of redness or pressure.

-Make sure you have proper socks. I recommend a cotton blend with nylon or another material that "wicks moisture away" from the skin. This will prevent blisters in pressure areas, and also prevent fungus or athletes foot.

-Start off slowly, with a low impact activity such as walking. Build up the time gradually, either by distance or by time. If you have joint problems, consider swimming or aqua aerobics

-Keep water near by, and keep well hydrated, especially on hot days

-Always wear an ID tag indicating that you have diabetes to insure proper treatment in case there's a problem when you're exercising or you have an injury.

-Try to exercise at the same time every day for the same duration. This will help control your blood sugar. Exercise at least three times a week for about 30 to 45 minutes.

Diabetic Shoes

A patient asked me, "What kind to shoes should I be wearing as a diabetic?" For the answer, there are a few guidelines to follow. The best thing to do first is to see a podiatrist and have your feet evaluated. Not only will you get a thorough exam, but you will also receive invaluable information and education about your feet and the structure of your feet. In addition, many podiatrist offices like ours, Prairie Path Foot and Ankle Clinic, are certified to fit and dispense diabetic shoes such as Dr. Comfort brand, if you qualify per Medicare standards.
For those patients whom that is not an option, then there are several qualities to look for in a shoe. Firstly, it should have a wide toe box. This is in order to accommodate any foot structural deformities, such as bunions or hammer toes. This would prevent any irritation against the skin that could turn into an ulcer or an open sore.
The next thing to look for is good padding along the sole of the shoe. Some have extra cushioning in order to accommodate any bony prominences or areas of increased pressure, again, to prevent a sore from forming. In addition, the shoe should be easy to adjust with laces or velcro, in order to take into account the fact that the feet may swell at the end of the day, and the shoe can easily expand.
Most importantly, until you are confident that your shoes are well fitting and free of risk, you must break in your shoes. Wear them a couple of hours a day, and slowly increase until you can wear them all day. Be sure to check your feet for areas of redness and irritation, and if you do find this, take the shoes back to where you purchased them and schedule an appointment to have your feet examined again by a podiatrist to make sure no new sores or ulcers have occurred.
Please stop by our office at Prairie Path Foot and Ankle Clinic and see our line of Dr. Comfort diabetic shoes. After a thorough diabetic foot exam, our Certified Podiatric Medical Assistant will be happy to assist you in picking out a pair of shoes. Happy Walking!