Category: Diabetic Foot Care

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Diabetes and Foot Health: A Go-to Guide

It’s always important to maintain the health of your feet and ankles, but people who struggle with diabetes must pay even more attention than the average individual. Due to potential complications arising from high blood sugar, diabetes can inflict significant damage in a short amount of time.

Left unchecked, complications might lead to serious consequences like amputations. That’s why this blog post will offer some clear, simple advice on diabetic vigilance and management techniques courtesy of the expert team at Step by Step Family Foot Care.

Understanding the Risks of Diabetes

High blood sugar levels associated with diabetes can damage nerves and blood vessels, especially in the feet. This nerve damage can cause numbness, tingling, pain, or even a complete loss of feeling. Without the ability to feel your feet, it becomes difficult to detect potential problems like wounds or infections, which, when combined with poor blood circulation, can lead to gangrene, a serious condition that may necessitate amputation or surgery.

Early Detection is Key

Even minor cuts, blisters, or dry skin can evolve into serious foot problems for diabetics. Here’s a checklist of what to look out for:

  • Blisters
  • Cuts or scrapes
  • Ulcers (open sores)
  • Dry, cracked skin
  • Calluses
  • Coldness in the feet

Taking Steps Towards Healthy Feet

The good news is that there are proactive measures you can take to safeguard your foot health:

  • Manage your blood sugar levels: Maintaining good blood sugar control helps minimize nerve and blood vessel damage.
  • Daily foot inspections: Make it a habit to check your feet every day for any cuts, blisters, or changes in skin texture.
  • Podiatrist care: Schedule regular appointments with a podiatrist for professional foot care and maintenance.
  • Proper footwear: Wear well-fitting shoes with good support and clean socks that absorb moisture.
  • Never go barefoot: This increases your risk of cuts, scrapes, and punctures.
  • Consider orthotics: Custom orthotics can improve alignment and provide additional comfort and support for your feet.

At Step By Step Family Foot Care, we are dedicated to providing comprehensive podiatric services. If you have any concerns about your foot health, please contact our office at (973) 917-3785 or visit our website to schedule an appointment with Dr. Debra Manheim. Our friendly staff in Parsippany is here to help you keep your feet healthy and happy!

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Diabetes and Your Feet

Diabetes

April is National Foot Health Awareness Month! Our feet do so much for us, and we often take that for granted. If you suffer from diabetes, it’s especially important to keep a close eye on the health of your feet and put extra time and effort into taking care of them. Amputation and surgery may be your only solution if you aren’t careful. How can you prevent it? Let’s take a closer look.

The Trouble with Diabetes

With diabetes comes high blood sugar. Over time, this can damage your nerves and blood vessels, primarily in your feet. Nerve damage creates numbness, tingling, pain, or even loss of feeling in your feet. If you can’t feel any pain in your feet, it’s hard to tell when a potential problem will show up. You might be walking around with a wound or infection for weeks without realizing it, especially if it’s occurring on the underside of your foot!

Pay Close Attention

Even small cuts or blisters can become serious foot ailments when it comes to diabetes. One of the best ways you can prevent that is by regularly checking your feet for unusual findings. Here are some things to look out for:

Wounds can get infected, and because diabetes affects the way you heal, it’s easy for complications to arise. Infections and poor blood flow can lead to gangrene. In worst-case scenarios, amputation and surgery are necessary. If you spot anything questionable, contact your podiatrist as soon as possible!

Keep Your Feet Safe

Luckily, there are some simple steps you can take to prevent a worst-case scenario situation. Controlling blood sugar is at the top of the list, as it will help lessen damage to your blood vessels and nerves. Alongside that, here are other ways to keep your feet healthy:

  • Check your feet every day.
  • Wash your feet every day.
  • Work alongside a podiatrist to keep your feet pain-free.
  • Wear well-fitting shoes and clean socks.
  • Never walk barefoot.
  • Look into orthotics.

Step By Step Family Foot Care is here to assist you with any of your podiatry needs! To make an appointment with Dr. Debra Manheim, call us at (973) 917-3785 or visit our site to schedule an appointment. The staff at our Parsippany office is ready and eager to help.

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Diabetic Foot Care: What You Need to Know

diabetic foot care

People with diabetes are prone to many foot problems. When you have diabetes, being aware of how foot problems can arise from disturbances in the skin, nails, nerves, bones, muscles, and blood vessels is essential. Furthermore, in diabetics, small foot problems can turn into serious complications. Let’s look at what you need to know to manage diabetes for healthy feet.

Risk of Diabetes

Both nerve damage (neuropathy) and poor blood circulation can cause loss of feeling in your feet. This may take away your ability to feel pain and discomfort so that it’s difficult to detect an injury. Poor circulation in your feet also reduces your ability to heal, making it hard for even a tiny cut to resist infection.

Having diabetes puts you at risk for developing a wide range of foot problems:

  • Infections and ulcers that don’t heal.Because of poor circulation in the feet, cuts or blisters can easily turn into ulcers that become infected and won’t heal.
  • Corns and calluses.When neuropathy is present, you can’t tell if your shoes are causing pressure and producing corns or calluses.
  • Dry, cracked skin.Poor circulation can make your skin dry and can result in cracks that may become sores.

What You Can Do

Luckily, there are a variety of things you can do to decrease the risk of developing serious complications from diabetes. You play a vital role in reducing complications. Here are some tips:

  • Inspect your feet daily.
  • Pay attention to the color of your feet and toes. If they turn red, pink, or purplish, poor circulation may be a problem.
  • Don’t ignore foot or leg pain.

  • Keep floors free of sharp objects. With reduced sensitivity, you may not notice any inflicted wounds or cuts on your feet.
  • Don’t go barefoot. Wear shoes, indoors and outdoors.

If you have any issues with foot health and mobility, contact Step by Step Family Foot Care in Parsippany, New Jersey. Our board-certified podiatrist, Dr. Debra B. Manheim, offers treatment for foot and ankle disorders, biomechanical analysis, and functional orthotic fabrication. For more information and answers to your questions, and to schedule an appointment, contact us at (973) 917-3785.

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Diabetes Awareness Month and Your Feet

diabetes

November is Diabetes Awareness Month. Unfortunately, the number of people in America with diabetes is on the rise, and millions more go undiagnosed every year. Diabetes can cause major health issues, especially at the extremities like your feet. Now is a good time to go over what you need to know about how diabetes can affect your feet and what you can do about it.

What is Diabetes?

Diabetes affects how your body turns food into energy. If you have diabetes, your body does not produce enough insulin or the insulin it does make is ineffective and it allows too much blood sugar to stay in your bloodstream. Over time, this can cause serious health problems.

What Can You Do?

Unfortunately, there is no cure for diabetes, but it can be managed. Losing weight, eating healthy food, quitting smoking, and being active can all really help. Foot health is especially important as diabetes can cause numbness in the extremities, so checking your feet regularly is vital to prevent any types of sores or wounds or any foot complications from happening.

Here are some other tips to keep your feet healthy and happy if you are diagnosed with diabetes:

  • Never go barefoot
  • Make sure to check your blood sugar regularly
  • Make sure to wear shoes that fit appropriately
  • If you notice increased redness, pain, or swelling to your feet, call your podiatrist immediately

  • Wash your feet every day in warm water to prevent damage to your skin

  • Keep your toenails regularly trimmed

  • Use a moisturizer to prevent your skin from cracking

Having diabetes is no fun, however with the right care and regular visits to your podiatrist it doesn’t have to prevent you from leading a quality life. If you have any issues with foot health and mobility, contact Step by Step Family Foot Care in Parsippany, New Jersey. Our board-certified podiatrist, Dr. Debra B. Manheim, offers treatment for foot and ankle disorders, biomechanical analysis, and functional orthotic fabrication. For more information and answers to your questions, and to schedule an appointment, contact us at (973) 917-3785.

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November is American Diabetes Month

diabetic foot care

Did you know that over 34 million Americans have diabetes and the numbers have more than doubled in the last 20 years alone? Its upward trajectory worldwide has made the disease a global public health crisis. Your feet are of particular concern because of the way this chronic disease affects the entire body. Foot problems can sneak up with the added threat of neuropathy and lack of proper blood supply.

Because November is American Diabetes Month, Dr. Debra B. Manheim at Step by Step Family Foot Care has a few tips that you can adopt to lower your risk of diabetes-related foot complications.

  • Healthy living

Living with any form of diabetes is not easy, especially when you must make changes in your lifelong habits or lifestyle. A healthy, balanced diet plan can control your blood sugar levels and help you achieve better health – including improved foot health. Add lean meat, grains, fruits, and vegetables to your diet. Keep up your exercise regimen to maintain a healthy weight. Try to quit smoking. The tar and nicotine from cigarettes can damage your artery walls.

  • Team up with your podiatrist

A podiatrist is an important member of your diabetic care team. No matter where you are in your journey with diabetes, a podiatrist can treat, counsel, and manage any chronic foot condition successfully. Regular foot screenings and practicing healthy foot care habits can ensure that any signs of trouble are detected and treated at first sight.

Live your best life with diabetes and know that you have the support you need. Take prompt measures and regularly see your podiatrist for excellent foot health.

Whether you have diabetic foot conditions or a painful ingrown toenail, contact Step by Step Family Foot Care. Dr. Debra B. Manheim is here to treat disorders of the foot and ankle and help you find solutions that best suit your podiatric conditions. Call us at (973) 917-3785 to schedule a convenient appointment or visit our office in Parsippany, NJ. For more information on podiatry related problems, you can browse through our patient education library and blog section.