Diabetes & Podiatry
If you have diabetes you should be seeing your podiatrist for a foot screening once every six months.
During your foot screening, we will check a number of different aspects of your foot health. Our Podiatrists will do a thorough check of your pulses, skin condition, nails, capillary refill, and monofilament check. We will also check your reactions to vibration, to hot/cold and your reflexes. Finally our Podiatrists will do a full foot posture check and well as high risk foot check.
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Diabetic Foot Ulcers
People who have lost their sensation of pain often develop ulcers on the soles of their feet. This is often due to the fact that they exert so much pressure on one specific area that a callus forms there. As the patient can’t feel pain, the callus can continue to develop until eventually the pressure becomes so much that the tissue is actually broken down and an ulcer forms.
Ill-fitting shoes are another cause of foot ulcers as they rub or pinch the same area of the foot repetitively causing injury and harm without the diabetic feeling it. An ulcer is an open sore or wound that needs to be treated by a Podiatrist immediately to lower the risk of infection in the ulcer and to prevent amputation.