Understanding Diabetes: Foot Symptoms

When was the last time you checked in with your feet? We’re going to take a shot in the dark here and predict it was on the 12th of Never-mber. While we should all be paying closer attention to our tootsies (and not just on pedicure day), if you have diabetes you need to be extra observant. Here’s why:

What is Diabetes?

Before we delve into all things feet, let’s start with a quick science lesson. When we eat or drink carbohydrates, our body breaks them down into glucose which travels around the body in our blood.

Insulin is a hormone, created in the pancreas, that removes glucose from the blood and deposits it in our body cells. Glucose is used as an energy source within the body but, when it stays in the blood it can cause us damage. Diabetesis a metabolic condition where the blood glucose level is too high. Having high blood glucose (hyperglycaemia) can affect organs including the heart and the kidneys but also blood vessels, nerves and the eyes.

While there’s no known cure for diabetes, it’s important to manage your symptoms and keep those sugar spikes under control to help minimise the impact it may have on the body in the short-term and long-term.

What’s The Difference Between Type 1 & Type 2?

Type 1 diabetes is when your body attacks the insulin-making cells in your pancreas. This means the body cannot make insulin so that’s why those with Type 1 diabetes inject insulin to cope with raised blood glucose when they eat.

Type 2 diabetes is a condition where you either don’t make enough insulin, or the insulin isn’t as effective so, your blood glucose keeps rising. Treatment ranges from healthy lifestyle changes (balanced diet, exercise) to medication which all help to lower the glucose in your blood.

How Does Diabetes Affect Feet?

Because of your raised blood glucose levels, you’re at greater risk of developing foot problems. The blood sugar can cause damage to the nerves and can affect the sensation in your feet.

It’s not something that you may necessarily notice right away, it can often start with a tingle or pins of needles before it progresses to a more severe loss of sensation. But, without intervention, it can not only spread further up the foot to the legs, but lead to other problems like ulcers and infections.

The damage to small blood vessels can also lead to a poor blood supply in general. So, small injuries like a cut on the foot might take longer to heal and be more vulnerable to infection.

How To Treat Foot Problems

Prevention is the best cure here. Start paying closer attention to your feet, by inspecting them daily to check for cuts or breaks in the skin. You may not be able to rely on touch alone if you’re experiencing a loss of sensation, so this visual examination will help you spot any problems before they develop.

To keep your feet’s skin in tip top condition, you can hydrate and reinforce the skin’s barrier with a restorative moisturiser. For the most intensive replenishment, look out for formulas that contain the ingredient urea – as it’s a moisture magnet that can help replenish any dried, cracked patches.