Anyone with diabetes can be prone to a variety of foot issues that can come about due to extended periods with higher blood sugar levels. Two examples that come with potentially serious complications include peripheral vascular disease and diabetic neuropathy. If you are interested in professional diabetic foot care, the team at Mill Creek Foot & Ankle Clinic is here to help.
Understanding Diabetes
Diabetes is a health condition that leads to insufficient or faulty insulin production or a lowered sensitivity to insulin. As an essential hormone in the body, insulin is crucial in assisting the cells as they absorb sugar from the blood so that it can be used for energy.
If something happens to this process, sugar keeps circulating through the blood, and that brings on various health problems. If you go through an extended time with heightened blood sugar levels, it can cause damage in different regions of the body, such as the feet.
Know The Foot Problems
These are the two significant types of health complications that can develop in the feet as a result of diabetes:
Peripheral Vascular Disease – With this disease, fatty deposits will begin to block the vessels beyond the heart and brain. When this happens, it can impact the blood vessels that lead to and from your extremities, including the hands and feet. This reduction of blood flow brings on slower wound healing, the potential for infection, and pain.
Diabetic Neuropathy – Diabetes can bring on nerve damage in the feet that leads to numbness. When this happens, it can make it hard to feel sensation in your extremities. This means issues with noticing soreness, irritation, or even infection that may develop on the feet. There can also be a risk for sores, blisters, and cuts.
Know the Symptoms
When you are dealing with diabetic foot problems, it is essential that you know what symptoms to look for that may be telling you there is a problem developing. This generally includes:
- Staining on your socks
- Painful tingling
- Red streaks
- Loss of feeling
- Wounds of blisters without pain
- Tingling or numbness
- Discoloration of the skin
- Temperature changes
If you end up with an infection, you could also start having chills, a fever, redness, shaking, and the inability to control your blood sugar. If you are having issues with your feet and you have diabetes, working with a podiatrist that you can trust will get you the healing and treatment options you need.
It is vital that you see a podiatrist if you notice:
- Tingling or pain in your ankles or feet
- Changes in the color of your skin on your feet
- Sores on your feet
- Ingrown toenails
- Fungal infections, such as athlete’s foot
- Cracked, dry skin on your heels
- Signs of infection
Mill Creek Foot & Ankle Clinic is the team that you can trust when you need diabetic foot care. Treatment options include regular foot checks, making sure that any wounds are always dressed and kept clean, and the use of immobilization devices. In worst-case scenarios, surgical intervention may be required.
Call Dr. Hall at (425) 482-6663 today to set up a diabetic foot care appointment at Mill Creek Foot & Ankle Clinic.
