Foot Problems With Diabetes

Neuropathy is another name for nerve disease associated with diabetes.

The end result of neuropathy, if not treated, is amputation of the feet. This is a major incentive to monitor and keep proper control of one’s blood glucose levels, as it is those who have poor control who are most at risk.

Both type 1 and type 2 diabetics are equally at risk of neuropathy, which usually appears after 10 years of high and uncontrolled blood sugar.

Taller people are more susceptible to the disease as they have longer nerve fibres and drinking (alcohol) can make things worse.

There are a number of symptoms to be aware of. The most obvious include an inability to feel any sensation in your feet.

Once sensation begins to be lost, it is very important that you make a point of making a visual check of your feet on a daily basis. This is to check for further damage, particularly when almost all sensation is lost.

Normally, if we experience pressure in certain areas of the foot, we can take action to stop it. However, if the person in this situation is diabetic and has neuropathy, they may not notice the discomfort. Ultimately, as the pressure continues, the skin in the area becomes hard and eventually becomes an ulcer.

Because of the loss of feeling, if there is also a lack of foot inspection, the ulcer can spread. Ultimately, once the ulcer reaches a certain size, the only option is amputation.

The best ways to avoid neuropathic foot disease is to follow the usual procedures for diabetes:

- Keep blood glucose under control

- Seek treatment if you suffer from hypertension

- Move. Exercising is very important for general wellbeing, but in particular it helps to reduce cholesterol, which is responsible, in part, to blocking the arteries. Exercise also promotes new growth of blood vessels.

-Smoking. Smoking is a major cause of peripheral arterial disease, which affects your feet first. Consider giving it up.

If you do smoke, consider taking up a hobby. Toby, the writer of this article and a type 2 diabetic, smoked and suffered from stress. To help get rid of his stress, he took up the Martin Backpacker guitar which he finds very effective at tackling stress. His Martin Backpacker guitar sounds great and is easy to transport.

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