Diabetic Foot Care
Diabetic foot care in Farnham Surrey.
We provide specialist foot care for people with diabetes. All our podiatrists are experienced in this field, and this is a particular area of specialism for Maria, who holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Diabetes.
Diabetes occurs when the body is unable to process excess sugar properly causing a high level of sugar to remain in the blood. It affects the whole body, including the blood vessels leading to and from extremities such as the hands and feet. This reduces blood flow which, in turn, can cause complications.
Type 1 Diabetes:
Type 1 – which often starts in childhood or as a result of post-viral complications and means the pancreas doesn’t produce any insulin at all. For these patients, insulin is the only treatment and must be given as an injection for life.
Type 2 Diabetes:
Type 2 – where the body does not produce enough insulin to cope with the sugar in the diet or is unable to process sugar in the body correctly. Diabetes type 2 is not curable, but it is treatable with a sensible diet, exercise, and a possible medication regime. It often is caused by years of unhealthy eating and is related to obesity.
Diabetic Foot Care Issues
After having had a high level of sugar in the blood for a long time (people are often diagnosed many years after symptoms first begin), diabetes can be the cause of many foot problems:
- Nerve Damage (peripheral neuropathy) – having a high level of sugar in the blood can damage the nerves responsible for sensation in the feet causing them to be unresponsive. The symptom of this in the feet is impaired sensation does not give a normal warning sign of pain e.g. if there is a stone in your shoe or the bathwater is too hot.
- Peripheral vascular disease – diabetes affects fat metabolism in your body, the peripheral blood vessels can become furred and narrower, thus restricting blood flow to the feet. This will have a negative effect on wound healing as oxygen and nutrient supply is limited by the poor blood supply.
At Farnham Foot Clinic we provide annual (or as frequent as you might wish) foot health checks, which include testing of the level of sensation in your feet as well as the quality of blood flow to your feet. We will inform your GP about the findings.