Diabetes and Podiatry

What is the connection and how does diabetes link to podiatry?

Diabetes, is a chronic, complex condition when the body cannot maintain healthy levels of glucose in the blood.

Diabetes can affect the entire body, and therefore requires a number of different practitioners to treat or manage this condition. Podiatrists play a leading role in the management of foot health and prevention of serious complications such as ulcerations or amputations. 

Foot complications in diabetes are more common than any other diabetic complications. People with diabetes experience foot problems due to the damage that diabetes causes to the nerves in the feet, also called neuropathy. Diabetes can also affect the blood circulation, and poor circulation can make a difference to how the body heals. People with diabetes are also more likely to develop infections. Due to these harmful effects, having diabetes increases the risk of developing serious foot complications.

Feet are often the first place to show diabetic related symptoms. Those symptoms may include cold feet, swelling, redness, numbness, sharp leg pain after walking, cuts which are slow to heal, pins and needles sensation, changes in foot colour, nail changes, corns, and calluses, cracked or dry skin.

People with diabetes should check their feet daily, keep the feet clean and dry, moisturise them regularly and check them for any changes, never go barefoot and wearing appropriate shoes. Furthermore, regular foot checks with a podiatrist can also help to detect problems early on and prevent further complications. 

At Castle Hill Medical Centre, we aim to deliver the highest quality of care to help all clients with diabetes manage their foot health. Continued regular podiatric foot care and regular checks of nerve supply and blood flow to patient’s feet helps to ensure that there are no changes or beginning of any complications.

Written by
Podiatrist Svetla Wilmott