Healthy feet are essential for overall good health

More than 65,000 lower limbs are amputated annually due to complications from diabetes. These amputations can be preventable with careful monitoring and regular foot screenings performed by a podiatrist, the foot and ankle experts.Podiatrists are trained to treat foot conditions that can be caused by diabetes, such as neuropathy, infection, and ulcers. Seeing a podiatrist for foot care can reduce amputation rates by 45 to 85 percent and lower the risk of hospitalization by 24 percent.

Diabetes affects the lives of nearly 26 million people in the United States and nearly seven million don’t even know they have the disease yet.

Diabetes warning signs involving the feet and ankles include the following:

• Skin color changes
• Swelling of the foot or ankle
• Numbness in the feet or toes
• Pain in the legs
• Open sores on the feet that are slow to heal
• Ingrown and fungal toenails
• Bleeding corns and calluses
• Dry cracks in the skin, especially around the heel

If you have diabetes or pre-diabetes, or have other questions about any symptoms you are experiencing, please contact Idaho Foot and Ankle Center at 208-529-8393 or schedule an appointment online .

Content provided by APMA http://www.apma.org

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