Diabetes and foot care Diabetes has a high risk of foot ulcers due to blood vessel degeneration, causing blood vessels to narrow, reducing blood flow to the feet, as well as nerve degeneration to the feet. Diabetic foot ulcers are the most common injury https://ufabet999.app leading to amputation. Prevention and early diagnosis are very important. Foot care in diabetic patients requires comprehensive knowledge, covering the main risk factors leading to amputation.
Risk factors that lead to leg amputation include:
1. Peripheral neuropathy
- Sensory impairment or loss
- Insufficient blood supply
- Autonomic nervous system disorders cause decreased sweating, dry, cracked skin.
- Obesity
- Visual impairment
- Blood sugar control disorder
2. Abnormal foot structure
- Foot deformity and bony spurs are the result of prolonged pressure.
- Restricted joint movement
3. Foot ulcers
- Have a history of foot ulcers or amputation of lower body parts.
- Wearing inappropriate shoes can cause friction or pressure on the skin.
Guidelines for foot care and prevention in diabetic patients
1. Regular foot examination and care
How do you know if you are at risk for foot complications?
- Skin color changes, such as darkening = beautiful skin
- Skin temperature increases = warm flesh
- Swollen feet = swollen but not painful legs
- Feet hurt when walking = walking without pain
- Foot wounds heal slowly = they hurt easily, so they need to heal quickly.
- Ingrown toenail and nail fungus = Don’t bite it, don’t bite it.
- Bleeding around the corn = My blood will flow.
- Dry, cracked skin, especially around the heels = My skin is going to crack.
2. Making special shoes for diabetic patients
Why are shoes necessary for diabetic patients? Diabetic patients need to use special shoes to prevent wounds from forming. And if a wound has healed, they must continue to use special shoes to prevent the wound from reoccurring. A research study by King’s College in England found that patients who had healed wounds and went back to wearing normal shoes had an 83% chance of having a wound reoccur. Patients who wore special shoes for diabetic patients had a 17% chance of having a wound reoccurring. Features of shoes suitable for diabetic patients• Must be soft (cushioning)
The right softness for diabetic patients is 15 degrees Shaw. It is not difficult to measure, it is the softness that when squeezed by hand, it will shrink to half of its original thickness. We want the softness to reduce shock and hard skin because patients often have abnormalities such as clawed toes and bony prominent. This area will have more pressure than normal, which will result in corns, hard skin leading to wounds.
3. Making insoles for diabetic patients
Insoles are another important factor that will help protect the soles of diabetic patients’ feet, as this is the area that directly contacts the risk points of diabetic ulcers. Therefore, making insoles for diabetic patients should take into account the following factors to support the soles of the feet, reduce impact, and reduce the risk of diabetic ulcers as much as possible.
Technical reasons for insole design for diabetic patients.
To prevent and reduce impact on the body when standing or walking.– According to research, wearing shock-absorbing pads at the forefoot and adding arch support will increase the walking contact area by 47% and the force acting on the sole of the foot can be reduced by 1/3 from the original.– The insole will support the entire sole of the foot and research has shown that it can reduce the force on the entire sole of the foot by 1/2 from the original.