Causes Of Diabetic Foot Pain and Ulcers

Patients suffering from diabetes are at a higher risk of developing foot pain and ulcers. It is caused due to the breaking down of foot skin and leaving the underneath layers exposed. Foot ulcers mostly occur under the balls of your foot and big toes. In severe cases, they can even go down to your bones. This is why you need to take proper care of your foot.

Every diabetic person, they are always at the risk of getting foot ulcers. You can only prevent it by taking good care of your foot.

Dr. Bhavesh Arun Popat provides diabetic foot treatment in Mumbai and he says “If you notice any kind of swelling, redness, irritation, or get bad odor coming from your foot, you should at once consult your doctor. Leaving it unattended, will only worsen the situation and cause problems in walking”

In this post, we will discuss everything you need to know about foot pain and ulcers.

Some Common Foot Problems With Diabetes

A diabetic person is susceptible to get a variety of foot problems. Some of the common foot problems that can occur in diabetes include:

Athlete’s Foot

This is a kind of fungal infection that causes redness, cracking, and itching in your foot. The infection is caused by germs that enter your skin through open cracks.

Causes

The athlete’s foot is caused due to fungal infection in your foot. You can get the tinea fungus either by coming in contact with contaminated surfaces or through an infected person.  The fungus that causes the disease is known to grow in moist and warm conditions. This is more common in people who have diabetes. Diabetes leads to dry and crack skin through which the germs can enter and thus, it makes you more vulnerable to such infections.

Treatment

The treatment for Athlete’s Foot should be continued for at least a week. However, the treatment should be started after all the symptoms have cleared. There are many medications including oral pills and anti-fungal creams that are used to treat the infection. You should use only the medication that is recommended by your doctor.

Care

You should wash and dry your feet daily two times a day. Make sure that you clean between your toes as well.  You should also change your stockings or socks daily. If possible, you should also avoid wearing the same shoes every day.

For extra protection, you should sprinkle the antifungal powder on your feet and also in your shoes daily.

Calluses

This is referred to as the build-up of skin underside of your feet. This mainly happens because of uneven weight distribution. Many people have calluses in their feet. Unless they cause any problem, they are fine. However diabetic people suffer from a faster build-up of skin under their feet. In worst cases, they can develop into foot ulcers, especially when you leave them neglected or don’t cut them off.

Causes

Many reasons can lead to calluses. The first being the uneven distribution of your body weight. Other than that it can also be caused by poorly fitted shoes. It is also common in people who have some kind of skin problem.

Treatment

After taking your bath, you can make use of a pumice stone to get rid of the skin build-up. To make your feet more comfortable, you should use cushion pads in your shoes. You can also take medications that are prescribed to you by your doctor. You should also keep your feet moisturized and soft. At any cost, you should not use a sharp object to get rid of your calluses.

Care

You should daily soak your feet in soap and water. This will help soften your calluses. The best thing would be to use warm water as it is more effective. After the bath, you should keep your skin moisturized.

Bunions

This is formed when your toe starts bending toward your second toe. The joint between your big toe and the second toe becomes callused or red. People with diabetes are more vulnerable to such conditions.

Causes

Bunions can occur in one or both of your feet. Many things lead to the formation of bunions. It is either caused because of hereditary or wearing shoes with narrow toes. This type of shoe pushes your big toe toward the second toe.

Treatment

You can make use of shoe inserts to position your feet properly. Other than that you can also keep your bunions covered gel-filled pad or moleskin. You can also go to your doctor who can separate both toes using a special type of device. However, if your bunion causes severe problems, then you may have to get operated on to realign your toes.

Care

You should maintain a healthy weight and avoid wearing narrow toe or high-heeled shoes for too long. You can also use a splint to keep the toes straight. This will also help reduce the discomfort.

Hammertoes

This is a condition when your toe bends because of weak muscles. The weaker muscles shorten the tendons in your toe which results in hammertoes. This condition is again more likely to happen to people with diabetes.

Cause

The main cause of hammertoes is weaker muscles which lead to the curling of your toe. However, this can also happen because of wearing shoes that are too short.

Treatment

You can use hammertoe pads for the comfort of your feet. It can also be treated with the help of corrective shoes and splints. In the worst cases, you may have to undergo surgery to get your toes straightened.

Care

You should avoid wearing narrow and high-heeled shoes. Also, you can use hammertoe pads for extra comfort. If possible, you should also get your toes massaged from time to time.

Diabetes can lead to many types of foot problems. These are only a few of the common ones we discussed. If you notice any of these conditions developing in your feet, you should consult your doctor at the earliest. Neglecting it will only make it severe which can even lead to amputation of your leg.