The Tribune

Recent concerns have indicated that diabetes is increasing at an alarming rate in the Bahamas. While diet and exercise are important, it is also important to know how it affects your feet. Many people with diabetes have mild to severe nerve damage. It is estimated that one in every four people with diabetes enters the hospital with feet problems.

Specific foot problems associated with diabetes are calluses, ulcers, loss of feeling (Neuropathy), poor circulation and even amputation.

Calluses occur more often and build up faster on the feet of people with diabetes. If calluses are not trimmed, they get thick, break down and turn into ulcers (open sores).

Foot Ulcers often occur on the ball of the foot or at the bottom of the big toe. Neglecting an ulcer can result in infection which can lead to loss of a limb.

Neuropathy or diabetic nerve damage can lessen your ability to feel pain, heat and cold. Loss of feeling means that you might not feel a foot injury.

Poor Circulation (blood flow) can make it difficult to fight foot infection and to heal.

If the above problems are not cared for, amputation of a limb (toe, foot or leg) may result.

Recommendations for diabetic footcare to avoid the above. Inspect your feet daily for blisters, cuts, and scratches. Always check between your toes.

Wash your feet daily and dry them carefully. Avoid extreme temperatures. Test water with your hands or elbow before bathing. If your feet feel cold at night, wear socks.

Inspect the insides of your shoes daily for foreign objects and rough areas. For dry feet, use diabetic approved lotion. Apply this after bathing and drying your feet.

Shoes should be fitted by a foot care specialist and be comfortable at the time of purchase.

See your family doctor regularly and be sure to have your feet examined at each visit.

Do not smoke. Do not soak your feet in hot water. Do not walk barefooted. Do not use chemical agents for the removal of corns and calluses or cut them (see your podiatrist).

Do not wear mended stockings and avoid stockings with seams. Do not use oils or cream between your toes. Do not wear sandals with thongs between the toes.

Do not cross your legs. This can cause pressure on the nerves and blood vessels.

These necessary precautions can reduce the risk of serious foot conditions. Many products such as diabetic approved shoes and inserts, seamfree socks, specialty lotions and creams, are available at specialty footwear stores or pedorthic facilities where staff, trained in foot pathology and properly fitting shoes, can help make choices that will support your foot care plan and accommodate any foot problems.

• Bernadette D. Gibson, a Board Certified an Licensed Pedorthist, is the proprietor of Foot Solutions, a health and wellness franchise that focuses on foot care and proper shoe fit, located in the Trinity Plaza, West Bay Street, Nassau. Bahamas www.footsolutions.com/nassau. The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Foot Solutions Incorporated or any of its subsidiary and/or affiliated companies. Please direct any questions or comments to nassau@footsolutions.com.