Foot Care and Diabetic Solutions

More and more Indians are being diagnosed with diabetes as a result of unhealthy diets and sedentary lifestyles. According to the International Diabetes Federation, India currently has 50 million diabetics. And due to lack of awareness, almost 50000 diabetics undergo diabetic foot amputation every year.
Diabetic foot problems are related to Peripheral Neuropathy, foot trauma, foot deformity, increased foot pressures and callus. Patients with diabetes should comfort the foot against any forces and pressure that can lead to ulceration. High blood sugar also interfered with the ability of nerve cells to transmit signals efficiently to the brain. This results in numbness, loss of sensation in the feet, loss of proprioception. This makes it extremely important for diabetics to take care of their feet on a daily basis. There should be a two pronged approach here: daily foot care and diabetic orthotic insoles.

Diabetic orthotic insoles are insoles that offload high pressure points on the soles of your feet. When you lose foot sensation, you cannot feel if you are putting unduly high pressure at particular points on the soles of your feet when you walk. When certain areas of the feet come under excessive pressure for a prolonged period of time, the foot can develop calluses or wounds or ulcers that may take a very long time to heal, or may not heal at all, eventually needing an amputation.

Therefore ask your clinician to check the sense of feeling and pulses in your feet.

Orthotic insoles for Diabetes

Orthotics can be very useful in avoiding friction and pressure sores. At Orthopaedic Industries, we use a baropedometer to analyze the weight distribution on your feet before we fabricate insoles that take care of the exact pressure points that need to be offloaded. Out diabetic insoles also hold your foot in the correct posture thus minimizing chances of you putting excessively high pressure on certain areas. A special diabetic grade poron is used to offload pressure and protect your feet. The posture correction offered by the insoles arrests poor foot function caused by over pronation or supination. This also stabilizes your foot and reduces the risk of putting excessive weight in incorrect areas.

And here are some tips to keep in mind for daily foot care:

• Check your feet every day for red spots, cuts, blisters, calluses, swellings
• Wash your feet every day with soap and warm water, dry them well, completely
• Keep your skin soft and smooth by using a moisturizer on the top and bottom of your feet
• Keep your toenails trimmed and filed
• Wear socks and shoes at all times
• Avoid bare feet even indoors.
• Protect your feet from hot and cold as you might not be able to sense the temperature
• Keep blood flowing to your feet by putting your feet up when you sit and wiggling your toes
• Quit smoking as smoking can worsen heart and vascular problems reducing circulation to your feet.
• Get your feet evaluated by a diabetologist or an orthodontist regularly

The various foot problems seen are-