Valley General Hospital Wound Healing Center Offers Tips for Diabetics During National Foot Care Month in April

Sixty percent of non-traumatic lower-limb amputations in the U.S. are diabetes-related

Monroe, WA –April is National Foot Health Awareness Month and the perfect time for the nearly 24 million Americans living with diabetes to stand up for their feet.

"Foot inspections and proper foot care should be as much a part of a diabetic's daily routine as checking blood sugar levels," recommends Dr. Robert S. Kirsner, a board member of the Wound Healing Society and chairman of the medical advisory board of National Healing Corporation whose Wound Healing Centers around the nation treat many patients who have difficulty healing due to complications from diabetes. 

"Each year one in 20 people with diabetes will develop a foot ulcer and the rate of amputation for people with diabetes is 10 times higher than in the general population," Kirsner says. "In fact, 60 percent of lower limb amputations that are not caused by trauma such as accidents and car crashes are diabetes related."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has found that comprehensive foot care programs can reduce amputation rates by 45 to 85 percent.

The local experts at Valley General Hospital Wound Healing Center, a National Healing Corporation Wound Healing Center, recommend these foot care tips:

• A daily visual inspection is needed since diabetes can cause changes in the skin on the feet as well as nerve damage which can impair sensation of feeling.  Use an unbreakable mirror to see the bottom of your feet or ask someone to help you.
• Check your feet and between your toes for blisters, cuts and scratches.
• Have your feet examined during doctor visits and tell your doctor about any redness, blisters or wounds on your legs or feet. 
• Don’t pull loose pieces of skin off your feet.  See a health care professional to have them removed.
• Avoid crossing your legs: this can cause pressure on the nerves and blood vessels, possibly causing damage.
• Never go barefoot and always wear properly fitting socks made of cotton and wool.  Change your socks daily and your shoes twice a day.
• Cut toenails straight across and don't trim them too short.  Use an emery board to smooth corners of toenails or ingrown nails.
• Seek medical treatment if a leg or foot wound has not healed in 30 days or shows signs of infection such as increased pain, redness or swelling, foul wound odor or a change in color or amount of drainage from the wound.

     For more information about diabetes management and treating and preventing chronic wounds, contact the Wound Healing Center located at Valley General Hospital or call 360-863-4655.

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