A daily foot check is one of the best ways to prevent foot complications, including ulcers. It is especially important if you have neuropathy, since you may not feel small injuries to your feet, but it’s a good habit for anyone to check their feet daily for signs of shoe rubbing, blisters, cuts, and calluses. These signs can alert you to the need to change your shoes or socks or to apply first aid. Once you’ve attended to a minor foot problem, check it daily to see if it’s healing normally.
What if you can’t see the bottoms of your feet? Ask a member of your household to look for you, or use a mirror to look yourself. A product called the Insight Foot Care Scale is both a scale (to weigh yourself) and an illuminated, magnified mirror. It automatically lights up after you weigh yourself as a reminder to check your feet. (You should sit down before examining each foot in the mirrored surface.) You can also press a button to turn on the lighted mirror if you don’t wish to weigh yourself first. (Learn more about Insight products at www.focusonyourfeet.com.)
If you have vision loss and cannot see your feet even in a magnified mirror, feel them carefully with your hands. Rub the back of your hand (which is especially sensitive to temperature) along each foot to help you detect cool spots, which may indicate impaired circulation, or unusually warm areas, which could be signs of inflammation and infection.
I’ve had an ulcer on my foot, and I’d really like to prevent another one. How can I do this?
In addition to performing a daily visual or manual foot check, using a skin thermometer to detect areas of inflammation on the feet can be very helpful. The TempTouch is an example of such a thermometer. (Read more about using the TempTouch at www.temptouch.com.)
Inflammation is a sign that a wound may be developing. By measuring the skin temperature at specific points on both feet and comparing the corresponding points on each foot, inflammation can be caught early. A difference of more than 3–4 degrees indicates that a hot spot may need to be looked at by a doctor.
Reason for hope
Attending to minor foot problems early is the best way to prevent major ones. But if you develop a more serious problem, don’t give up hope. Each year, new products and methods are developed for treating diabetes-related foot problems. Take advantage of these medical advances by bringing your foot problems to your primary-care or foot doctor’s attention promptly. Then take an active role in following through with your foot professional’s recommendations. When you work together with your medical team, there’s good reason to hope that your feet will last a lifetime.
