Diabetes affects your nerve endings throughout your body. Diabetic feet pain occurs in tandem with diabetic neuropathy: because of the feet’s great distance from the higher nerve center in the brain, compromised nerves cannot send messages back and forth signaling pain, excessive force, or weakness. The biggest call that your feet may no longer be able to make is a call for help: diabetic foot pain simply cannot signal the brain when something is wrong.
Walking can become a very risky task. Uneven surfaces, nails, glass, tree roots, bed frames, just about anything on the floor can trigger a cascade of misfortune for the diabetic patient who is oblivious to their surroundings. Not only are the nerves in the foot compromised, but the overall blood circulation is also compromised for people with diabetes. Looking down all the time can cause dizziness or problems with vision, not to mention that it is quite antisocial.
Diabetic Nerve Pain & Feet
In addition to tripping, stubbing a toe, or having foreign objects enter your foot without your knowledge, common foot ailments can also trigger intense pain. Athlete’s Foot fungus, plantar’s warts, callouses, unchecked bunions, and corns can all set up a condition for an infection, inviting ulcers and even gangrene. Amputations due to infection are caused by the body’s inability to recover from simple sores, wounds and topical infections due to the reduced blood flow to the feet. Inattentive treatment can cause false relays of pain through the body, creating uncomfortable tingling sensations, making it difficult to judge how best to walk. Rather than panic and stop walking altogether, here are some steps you can take to reduce the possibility of diabetic pain in your feet.
Preventing Diabetic Pain in Feet
Like so many issues caused by diabetes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, and in the case of diabetes foot pain, several pounds of flesh. Having diabetes calls you to be more engaged with your environment, your body, and your interactions. In addition to creating a solid diet and food plan with your doctor, you may, at times be called to monitor your emotions, your urine, and even your feet. Basically, it would help you a lot to think about having permission to live in a constant spa. What may have felt like a luxury in the past is now a very important part of your daily ritual.
Pamper your feet. Everyday. Look at them. Massage them with nice lotions. Make sure nothing is sticking in them. Keep toe nails neat and trimmed. Avoid excessive build up of callouses. Be vigilant about wearing only clean, dry socks to reduce the chances of Athlete’s foot fungus. If you practice yoga as part of your exercise regime, use a pair of “paws,” buy your own mat and keep both clean and dry to avoid picking up fungus from the studio. Never walk around barefoot if you are prone to diabetic muscle spasms and/or suffering from diabetic neuropathy. Get a regular pedicure, but make sure the cosmetician is board certified and their tools are sterile.
Wear shoes that fit and feel comfortable. This may mean a bit of an investment in a shoe that can accommodate your new circulatory issues. Worry the shoe store attendant. Make sure they are knowledgeable about shoes and how to fit them appropriately. Avoid buying cheap, discount shoes made of plastic. Your shoes should breathe, offer support and protection of the toes. Having great shoes will reduce abrasions on the foot caused by corns and bunions and thus, infections.
Arrange your living space in a way that makes it easy to avoid foot injuries. Clean your house. Clear your floor, walkways and yard of stuff. Ask for help if you need it. An uncluttered home is actually medically necessary for you now.
At the first sign of a sore, call your doctor. You are not over reacting. Any sore or cut on the foot left untreated has the potential of developing gangrene. Diabetic pain in the feet is an invitation to provide deeper care for yourself. Put one foot in front of the other and take this opportunity to reconnect to these vital tools. You’ll ensure that you can keep walking through any door.
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