Diabetic foot is one of the most common chronic complications of diabetes mellitus and one of the main factors of disability in diabetic patients. In recent years, as the incidence of diabetes increases year by year, the number of diabetic foot prevalence is also on the rise year by year. The diabetic foot is a diabetic neuropathy, ischemic lesion of the lower extremity vasculature complicated by bacterial infection, resulting in loss of sensation or ulceration of the foot and necrosis of the extremity and other lesions. If left untreated, diabetic foot can lead to diabetic end gangrene, which is difficult to cure and often requires amputation, making the patient disabled. Therefore, we should prevent diabetic foot from occurring in the first place, and actively prevent it to reduce the possibility of it.
The focus of diabetic foot is on prevention, and the key lies in the daily care of patients themselves.
(1) Wear well-fitting and comfortable shoes, and do not wear high-heeled shoes.
(2) The mouth of socks should be loose rather than tight, and keep them breathable in summer.
(3) Check the shoes for foreign objects before wearing them.
(4) Pay attention to foot hygiene, test the water temperature before washing your feet to prevent burns, dry your feet after washing and keep them dry and clean between the toes, and do not go barefoot.
(5) Actively treat tinea pedis, wash socks daily, dry shoes regularly, and shower should be preferred for patients with untreated tinea pedis to avoid cross infection.
(6) Check the feet daily for trauma and breakage, do not use a knife to cut corns and calluses on the feet to avoid causing skin damage, and toenails should be cut flat and not too short to avoid ingrown nails.
(7) pay attention to foot warmth in winter to avoid frostbite, sleep at night in winter when the room temperature is low can wear warm socks, do not use hot water bags to heat the foot to warm up to prevent burns.
(8) Pay attention to sports safety to prevent injury.
(9) When there are blisters or ulcers on the skin of the foot, you must go to the hospital for treatment in time.
Choose shoes
1.Preferably round toe, flat bottom, cloth shoes
If you have to wear formal wear and high heels at work, then change to soft leather shoes or cloth shoes at noon break and on the way to and from work, and all are flat, round toe shoes.
2.Larger feet try shoes
People’s two feet are not exactly the same size, one will be slightly larger than the other. Buy shoes to the larger foot as the standard, to avoid buying shoes that are too small and squeeze the skin.
3, buy shoes time to afternoon and help evening is better
To go shopping in the evening. Because, everyone’s feet will be slightly swollen in the afternoon and evening, this time to try the shoes is the most appropriate.
Putting on shoes
Every time you put on shoes, you should first carefully check whether there are small grains of sand inside the shoes; whether there are holes in the upper and sole; whether there are uneven places in the insole. Even in summer, do not wear sandals or flip-flops with exposed toes and heels to go out. Even at home, do not walk barefoot to avoid foot injuries, leading to infection.
Selecting socks
Make sure to choose absorbent, breathable, soft and warm cotton or pure wool socks, and try them on carefully each time. If the socks are too tight, don’t wear them. When it is cold, you can also wear an extra layer of socks to keep warm when you sleep at night.
Soak your feet
1.Test the water temperature with your own elbow
Soak your feet in warm water every day. After you put the water in the basin, you should first pull up the sleeves, try the water temperature with your own elbow, and then put your feet into the water. Do you know why this is? Because the skin of the elbow is far more sensitive than the skin of the hands and feet, if the elbow to measure the water temperature feels right is equivalent to the water temperature does not exceed the body temperature.
2, time limit 20-30 minutes
Not only this, each foot soak should not exceed 20-30 minutes. After washing, use a soft dry towel to gently dry, especially the toe seam to dry.
3, contraindicated
Some diabetic patients already have ulcers do not soak.
4, foot soak remedies
Ginger, white onion, mugwort, cinnamon stick, Chuanxiong decoction and soak feet, the water temperature does not exceed 35 ℃, a dose of medicine can be soaked for three days.
In general, because these drugs contain easily volatile components, ginger can be put one or two, cut into slices, four white onion, and then mugwort, cinnamon stick, Chuanxiong are each 30 grams, because there are volatile components, the decoction time should not be too long, generally 15-20 minutes on it. About when the water temperature drops to 35 ℃, soak feet for 20-30 minutes, can improve foot blood circulation and assist in the treatment of diabetes.
5, do not use talcum powder on the feet
If the feet often sweat, is often said to sweat feet, in addition to the daily foot soak, generally do not use talcum powder to rub feet, which is to avoid blocking the pores of the foot skin.
6, carefully check whether there is skin damage
After washing your feet every day to carefully check the skin of the foot, the invisible sole of the foot can help with a mirror. Found a break, trauma to disinfect and care in time to avoid wound expansion. Because of the lower limb vascular and peripheral neuropathy caused by diabetes, the foot skin becomes less sensitive to cold, heat and even pain than before, and if the foot receives a trauma, even a small wound can quickly become an ulcer, infection, or even skin and muscle necrosis!
Diabetic foot is one of the serious complications of diabetes, and effective measures taken early can prevent foot ulcers, gangrene and amputation. Therefore, systematic intervention should be carried out for people at risk of diabetic foot as early as possible. Through reasonable preventive measures of foot care and health education of diabetic foot, it can effectively improve patients’ self-care ability and management ability, which can achieve the purpose of preventing diabetic foot and amputation rate and improve patients’ quality of life.