Protecting Your Feet When You Have Diabetes

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Brunilda Nazario, MD
When you have diabetes, it's important to protect your feet and to check your feet, because diabetes, over a long period of time, can give you complications with nerve damage and blood flow. It's very typical that after a few years of having diabetes, you don't feel injuries that can occur. And diabetes is the leading cause of foot amputations in this country.

Brunilda Nazario, MD (Continued)
When washing your feet, one of the first things you want to do is you want to check the temperature of the water, because a lot of times, if you do have diabetes, you become insensitive to temperature. So make sure that you're not soaking your foot right away to prevent the burn. You want to avoid soaking your feet for too long period of a time. That will not only soften the skin too much, but it can also lead to fungal infections. You want to make sure that your feet are completely dry, and apply powder if you can.

Brunilda Nazario, MD (Continued)
It's really important to select shoes really wisely when you have diabetes -- a pair of shoes that are well fitted, that are soft leather, and that are tie-able rather than loafers, because they give you a bit more support. And If you have diabetes, what's recommended is that you check your feet on a daily basis.