DUE to the poor recovery and a high risk of relapse of diabetic feet, early prevention of diabetic feet is more effective than later treatment. Many patients can be saved from amputation if the correct prevention and treatment are taken early.
What should we do to prevent diabetic foot effectively?
One way to prevent foot issues with diabetes is to keep your blood sugar within a healthy range, so check your blood sugar on a regular basis. Also, take your diabetes medication as instructed. If you’re unable to control your blood sugar, see your doctor.
Other tips to prevent foot issues include:
Stay physically active, at least 30 minutes most days of the week.
Consult a nutritionist or certified diabetes educator (CDE) for meal planning advice.
Quit smoking.
Keep your blood pressure and cholesterol within a healthy range.
Maintain a healthy weight.
Not only should you take steps to keep your blood sugar within a healthy range, but you should also take steps to keep your feet healthy. Here’s how to protect your feet with diabetes:
Examine your feet daily and look for signs of injury, such as scrapes, cuts, blisters, etc.
Wear appropriate fitting shoes to avoid injury and blisters.
Don’t walk barefoot.
Moisturize your feet daily.
Wash and dry your feet daily.
Trim your toenails straight across to avoid ingrown nails.
See a doctor to remove corns or calluses (don’t do it yourself).
Treat cuts immediately to avoid infection (clean wounds daily and apply antibiotic ointment).
Some diabetes foot complications are life-threatening, or they put you at risk for amputation. See a doctor if you have any concerns or notice unusual changes with your feet.
If the wound in the foot does not show signs of improvement within 1-2 days, with signs of redness, heat or swelling in the area, you should go to the hospital immediately to have it treated even if you do not feel any pain. This is because a possible neuropathy may prevent you from feeling any pain. The surgeon will remove the crusted and necrotic tissue, clean the wound, and decompress the ulcer.
Finally, if you have any diabetic foot problems, I suggest you see doctors promptly. The physicians and orthopaedical surgeons of the NRH will work closely together to help you. I wish our lovey Solomon Islanders and their friends and family good health and happiness.
Article & Photo: China Medical Team NRH
（Translated by HUANG BAILIN, International Office, Guizhou Medical University）
