Smart foot care

Diabetes is a chronic lifestyle disease which can be managed with moderate intervention. However, there’s another very essential part that doctors urge patients to keep a check on – examining feet

Diabetes is a global epidemic, which is rapidly increasing particularly low and middle income countries. India alone accounts for 8.7 per cent of the worlds’ diabetic population according to WHO, i.e. 69.2 million people suffer from diabetes in India.

Diabetes once diagnosed requires 24x7 management of the disease. Eating balanced meals, monitoring blood sugar, inculcating an active lifestyle and also indulging in timely relaxation activities are of paramount importance.

But there’s another very essential part that doctors urge patients to keep a check on: examining your feet.

Foot care is very important for all people with diabetes, even so if you have:

• pain or loss of feeling in your feet (numbness, tingling)
• changes in the shape of your feet or toes
• sores, cuts, or ulcers on your feet that do not heal

Prolonged battle with diabetes and uncontrolled sugar levels can lead to a lot of complication such as diabetic foot owing to loss of sensation in the feet due to either peripheral arterial disease (PAD), which is due to poor circulation, or diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN), due to nerve damage.

On account of loss of feeling in one’s feet, one may not feel a pebble inside your socks or a blister on one’s feet, which will result in cuts and sores. Numbness and less blood flow in the feet can lead to feet related ailments.

Anyone can have foot problems but for people affected with diabetes need to take immediate action or else they may lead to infection and serious complications such as amputation.

Mentioned below are precautions measures that should be inculcated for the management of the diabetes:

• Monitoring the blood sugar level to ensure that blood glucose is within the range recommended by the doctor.
• Washing feet every day with lukewarm water and a mild soap to keep infections away especially cleaning the area between the toes.
• Test the temperature of the water to avoid blisters.
• Keeping the foot dry and clean.
• Check your foot everyday for blisters, redness, sores, calluses, or any of the other problems.
• Dry skin on the foot can cause cuts and cracks therefore make sure the foot is moisturised.
• Trim your toenails with nail clipper and smooth the toenails with a nail file.
• Do not round off the corners of the toenails.
• Always wear comfortable and closed-toed slippers.
• Do not walk barefoot.
• Protect your feet from varying temperatures i.e. heat and cold
• Schedule regular visits to the doctor

Diabetes is a chronic lifestyle disease which can be managed with moderate intervention. As discussed above, maintaining blood glucose level plays a very important role.

One of the ways available to do so today is through technology tools such as apps that not only give patients timely reminders but also create an ecosystem that supports patient care ensuring the quality of life of a diabetic patient is significantly improved, compliance to the treatment plan is much better and ultimately the patient has a reduced incidences of complications.

Apps today govern almost every part of our life making it simple and convenient to seek the help that we need. So why not use one to manage our health as well!

By: Dr Ashwini Rakhame
The writer is from LifeinControl.