Introduction
When you have
, your feet need extra care and attention.
Diabetes can damage the nerve endings and blood vessels in your feet, making you
less likely to notice when your feet are injured. Diabetes can also interfere with
your body's ability to fight infection. If you develop a minor foot injury, it
could become an
or develop into a serious infection.
on the bottom of your feet, or on the top or bottom of your
toes. With good foot care, you can prevent most of these problems.
Caring for your feet is easy. Most of the care can be done when you are
bathing and getting ready for bed. Preventing injury to your feet is merely a
matter of wearing properly fitted shoes and socks at all times.
These steps can help keep your feet healthy:
- Examine your feet every day. And have your
doctor examine your feet during every visit.
- Check your shoes for
any loose objects or rough edges before you put them on.
- Look at
foot care as part of your daily routine. Soon it will become as automatic as
brushing your teeth.
- Don't use home remedies to treat foot
problems. Home remedies can hurt your feet. Over-the-counter medicine designed
to remove calluses could contain chemicals that could burn your skin. Also,
trying to cut corns or calluses yourself could lead to infections.
- Get early treatment for any foot problem, even a minor one.
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