Keep Your Feet Clean
An essential part of taking care of your feet is keeping them clean. Having clean feet helps to protect your feet from bacterial infections that can come from having dirty feet. Make sure to use lukewarm water instead of water that is too hot or cold.
Keep Your Feet Dry
Another crucial part of diabetic foot care is making sure that you dry your feet thoroughly. Damp feet are dangerous to your condition because having wet feet can contribute to hidden infections, sometimes leading to amputation if it remains unaddressed. After washing your feet, dry them well, including getting between your toes to remove all traces of moisture from your feet.
Wear Shoes That Fit
If you’re wearing shoes that don’t fit your feet well, now is the time to get comfortable shoes. Blood flow is essential to your foot health, and wearing poor-fitting shoes can be restrictive to proper blood flow. Not only is wearing well-fitting shoes vital to maintaining blood flow, but it also guarantees that your feet are comfortable, helping with your quality of life.
Trim Your Toenails Properly
You may not think that maintaining your toenails has a correlation with the health of your feet, but proper nail care plays a critical part in keeping your feet healthy. Some people make the mistake of trimming their toenails with a rounded angle, and although it may not seem like a big deal to most people, it can cause trouble for those who have diabetes. Cutting your toenails at a rounded angle can make you more likely to develop ingrown toenails. These present problems for diabetics because the loss of sensation in the feet can make it challenging to detect ingrown toenails, and they can often cause infections in your feet.
If you have diabetes and are looking for additional help with taking care of your feet, don’t hesitate to call our office. Please schedule a consultation with Utah Orthopaedics by calling us today at 801-917-8001.
