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Foot care in DiabetesBY: David Prakash Kumar | Category: Health and Fitness | Post Date: 2009-06-08
FEET ARE IMPORTANT One of the important, and often neglected, complications of Diabetes Mellitus is the involvement of the foot, the common consequence of which is ulceration. A second, less common but serious issue is neuro-arthropathy of the foot. The cause of a diabetic foot is nerve damage. This presents as numbness along with burning sensation, pain and other sensory complaints. It can be associated with decreased blood supply. All these constitute the foundation for the serious problems that presents later with ulcerations, which may even, lead to amputation of the limb. TESTING AND DIAGNOSIS The common symptoms of a diabetic foot of deep pain and burning sensation- pins and needles- occur especially during periods of uncontrolled sugars. Loss of sensation and ulcers are later stages of foot involvement. Foot neuropathy can be diagnosed by monofilaments or ball-pen to check touch/pressure sensation and also by checking vibration sensation. Inability to feel a pre graded 10gm monofilament on the sole of the foot indicates loss of protective sensation with the foot at risk of injury/damage. At home a patient may test his foot with ballpoint pen tips to see if he feels the sensation, but care should be taken not to poke the skin too hard. Vascular insufficiency or decreased blood supply is not as common as neuropathy and can be diagnosed clinically by palpation of posterior tibial and Dorsalis pedis pulses, skin, nail and hair changes in the foot and ABI index (ratio of systolic pressure in the leg to systolic pressure in the arm). Simple tests like shin, nail and hair changes, can be noted by the patient themselves which may lead to early detection of problems. This would help in preventing major complications if treated early. Other important points in care of the feet: Do not walk barefoot as it may cause injury. Realize the difference between normal skin and skin with sensory deficit. Wear protective footwear if your foot is at high risk. Clean your nails and cut them straight. Keep the skin on your legs well protected. Every diabetic patient should have a baseline evaluation of the foot done by a foot care worker at the time of diagnosis. Also the patient should be able to do some of the simple tests listed above to note any changes and report to the health worker as soon as possible. This is to be repeated every year or when symptoms are noticed. All said and done, the best way to prevent diabetic neuropathy is to control blood sugar. Article Source: http://www.saching.com About Author / Additional Info: I am a Physiotherapist by profession and a writer by interest. I have written many articles and blogs. I also take up freelance writing assignments. Comments are welcome at prakashdavid@rediffmail.com Additional Articles: * How To Use Useful Free Blogging Software ? * What kind of men do women like? * Dilemma in your fifties - Sandwich generation responsibilities. * Important sources of Omega-3 fatty acids * What do people do when they lose all their money Does this article violate or infringe on your copyright ? It is a violation of our terms for authors to submit content which they did not write and claim it as their own. If this article infringes on your copyrights, then use our Contact us form with the detailed proof of infringement along with the offending article's title, URL and writer name. If you do not hear back from us then contact us again in another 10 days. Thank you. Comments on this article: (0 comments so far) * Additional comments are now closed for this article *
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