Should You See A Podiatrist When You Have Diabetes?

If you have diabetes, you are at a higher risk of getting foot problems and complications. These conditions are likely to occur due to neuropathy or nerve damage on your feet and toes. When you get the nerve damage, after some time, the ability to feel pain ends.
When you get an injury or wound on your toes or foot, it can go unnoticed. Such small injuries can quickly turn into complicated problems such as foot ulcers. This is the reason why you have to book an appointment and visit a podiatrist. Get your feet checked regularly to identify a problem quickly and prevent complications.
What Is Diabetes?
If you have type 2 diabetes, it means you don’t utilize insulin properly, while diabetes type 1 means your body doesn’t make any insulin. Patients with diabetes type 2 tend to produce extra insulin, but after a more extended time, your body won’t make enough to keep the blood glucose level normal.
Elevated blood sugar level causes severe damages on your body parts, including your feet. The risk factors of getting type 2 diabetes may result from family history, over 45, increasing weight, and not being physically active.
How a Podiatrist Will Help a Diabetic Patient
A podiatrist is a professional in a diabetic health care team. These podiatrist professionals are highly trained such that they can access nerve damages occurring on your feet.
If you have diabetes, a podiatrist gives you the right treatment and prevention plan. However, diabetes will affect your feet in various ways, and it’s a podiatrist who can help identify and solve these issues.
Foot Problems Risks for Diabetic Patients
There are various foot problems you’re likely to experience. Some of these problems include:
• Nerve Damages
While suffering from diabetes, you may experience nerve damage (neuropathy), which causes a lot of pain and numbness. After some time, it leads to serious problems such as loss of feeling pain. If that happens, a cut will go unnoticed.
• Foot Ulcers
This refers to a wound occurring on your toes or foot. A tissue on your foot will break and cause an open wound. The moment you start experiencing these ulcers, they are likely to grow larger and get infections.
Treating foot ulcers takes time, and they are expensive. If you don’t take the appropriate treatment, it may require amputation. That’s a significant reason to visit a podiatrist.
• Charcot’s Foot
The moment nerve damages affect your feet, it leads to the weakening of bones in your feet. If the bones turn weak, they easily break, resulting in foot deformities.
• Amputations
It is hard to treat a wound or foot ulcers, and when that happens, it will require amputation.
The above foot problems may result from diabetes complications. Visiting a podiatrist helps to identify specific risk factors and the best treatment options.
The Bottom Line
If you have diabetes, it would be best you visit a podiatrist who would carry a complete foot examination. A podiatrist is trained such that he can quickly diagnose and treat diabetes-related conditions. Taking the opportunity to visit a podiatrist helps you prevent future need for an amputation.
Come see us at Palmetto State Podiatry.