Diabetes is a chronic health condition that affects the body’s ability to turn food into energy. After we eat, food is broken down into sugar and released into the bloodstream. When this happens, the pancreas in the body releases a hormone known as insulin to control the amount of sugar circulating in the blood.
How does diabetes cause foot complications?
o Higher sugar levels circulate in the blood.
o There is less than optimal blood flow or circulation which affects a person’s ability to heal from minor cuts and scrapes.
o The ability to sense injury is compromised. This complication is known as peripheral neuropathy and it manifests as pins and needles, numbness, hypersensitivity, and pain.
Is neuropathy in the feet serious?
The short answer is yes. Peripheral neuropathy is a serious complication as it impairs your ability to sense injury. This is dangerous because you may not be able to feel when an injury occurs. Something as insignificant as a small pebble in your shoe can become a devastating injury when neuropathy is present. If skin breakdown occurs, it can lead to serious infection if left untreated.
Neuropathy in the feet and legs is not always experienced as numbness and pins and needles, it can also present as hypersensitivity and pain. Pain can severely affect a person’s quality of life, causing undue stress and anxiety.
Is there any way to relieve nerve pain caused by diabetes?
There are certain prescription medications that can help with nerve pain attributed to peripheral neuropathy. Anti-seizure drugs such as gabapentin and certain antidepressants such as amitriptyline can be helpful, but unfortunately, they do not work for everyone. It is important to do your best to have a healthy lifestyle.
There are things you can do at home to feel better overall and lower your risk for developing diabetes-related complications in the first place:
- Keep blood pressure under control – high blood pressure can place more strain on our body’s organs.
- Make healthy food choices – this helps keep blood sugar more well controlled and can successfully contribute to achieving and/or maintaining a healthy body weight.
- Try to stay active – exercise has been proven to lower blood sugar.
- Rid cigarettes from your life – smoking cigarettes can reduce blood circulation to your legs and feet.
Your BioPed Footcare team is also here to help! Our lower limb clinicians will help you prevent complications from occurring:
- We will assess and monitor your feet regularly for changes. This includes completing a Diabetes Risk Assessment during an appointment to determine your risk for developing complications.
- Select BioPed locations * have Registered Chiropodists and Advanced Footcare Nurses who will safely treat your nails and skin and monitor your feet regularly.
- We will make sure your footwear fits well to properly support and protect your feet. The right fit, including the correct length and width, is crucial for avoiding friction or pressure sores.
- Custom made foot orthotics can play a key role in preventing injury and are beneficial for wound healing. Our clinicians can effectively offload existing wounds to allow for healing and high-pressure areas to lessen the risk for wounds developing.
- We believe in the importance of education! We will advise on what can be done at home to promote better foot health.
Your local BioPed Footcare team is here to support you and your foot health. If you’ve been told you have diabetes, neuropathy or have started experiencing numbness or tingling in your feet, find the BioPed closest to you at bioped.com/locations to make an appointment with one of our lower limb clinicians today!
