List of Some Common Foot Problems With Diabetes

List of Some Common Foot Problems With Diabetes

What Are Some Common Foot Problems With Diabetes?

Anyone can get the foot problems listed below. For people with diabetes, however, these common foot problems can cause infection and high complications, like amputation.

• Athlete's foot . tinea pedis may be a fungus that causes itching, redness, and cracking. Germs can enter through the cracks in your skin and cause an infection. Medicines that kill the fungus can treat tinea pedis . These medicines are available pills or creams.
• Fungal infection of nails. Nails that are infected with a fungus may become discolored (yellowish-brown or opaque), thick, and brittle and should break away the remainder of your nail. In some cases, your nail may crumble. The dark, moist, and warm environment of shoes can help a fungus grow. An injury to your nail also can cause a mycosis . Fungal nail infections are hard to treat. Medications applied to the nail are available, but they only help alittle number of fungal nail problems. you'll need prescription drug that you simply take orally . Your doctor may additionally remove the damaged nail.
• Calluses . A callus may be a buildup of hard skin, usually on the underside of the foot. Calluses are caused by an uneven distribution of weight. Calluses can also be caused by poorly fitting shoes or by a skin disease . It's normal to possess some callus on your foot, so your doctor will decide if your callus is causing problems. If you've got a callus, lookout of it properly. After your bath or shower, use a pumice to softly remove the built-up tissue. Use cushioned pads and insoles in your shoes. Medications can soften calluses. don't attempt to cut the callus or remove it with a pointy object.
• Corns. A corn may be a buildup of hard skin near a bony area of a toe or between toes. Corns may happen due to pressure from shoes that rub against your toes or cause friction between your toes. make certain to require care of them properly. After your bath or shower, use a pumice to softly remove the built-up tissue. don't use over-the-counter remedies to dissolve corns. don't attempt to cut the corn or remove it with a pointy object.
• Blisters . Blisters can form when your shoes rub an equivalent spot on your foot. Wearing shoes that don't fit properly or wearing shoes without socks can cause blisters, which may become infected. When treating blisters, it is vital to not "pop" them. The skin covering the blister helps protect it from infection. Use an antibacterial cream and clean, soft bandages to guard the skin and stop infection.
• Bunions . A bunion forms when your great toe bends toward your second toe. Often, the spot where your great toe joins your foot becomes red and callused. This area also may stick out and become hard. Bunions can form on one or both feet. they'll run within the family, but most frequently they're caused by wearing high-heeled shoes with narrow toes. These shoes put pressure on your great toe , pushing it toward your second toe. Felt or foam padding may help protect the bunion from irritation. Your doctor also can use a tool to separate the large and second toes. If the bunion causes severe pain or deformity, you would possibly need surgery to realign your toes.
• Dry skin . Dry skin can crack, which may allow germs to enter. Use moisturizing soaps and lotions to stay your skin moist and soft. Ask your doctor which of them to use.
• Diabetic ulcers . A foot ulcer may be a break within the skin or a deep sore. they will become infected. Foot ulcers can happen from minor scrapes, cuts that heal slowly, or from the rubbing of shoes that don't fit well. it is vital to treat them as soon as you notice them. Ask your doctor for advice on the way to best look after your ulcer. Up to 10% of individuals with diabetes will get foot ulcers.
• Hammertoes . A hammertoe may be a toe that's bent due to a weakened muscle. The weakened muscle makes the tendons in your toe shorter, causing your toe to twist under your foot. Hammertoes can run in families. they will even be caused by shoes that are too short. Hammertoes can cause problems with walking and may cause blisters, calluses, and sores. Splints and corrective shoes can treat them. In severe cases, you'll need surgery to straighten your toes.
• Ingrown toenails . Ingrown toenails happen when the sides of the nail grow into your skin. They cause pressure and pain along the nail edges. the sting of the nail may dig your skin, causing redness, swelling, pain, drainage, and infection. the foremost common explanation for ingrown toenails is pressure from shoes. Other causes include improperly trimmed nails, crowding of the toes, and repeated trauma to the feet from activities like running, walking, or doing aerobics. Keep your toenails properly trimmed to stop ingrown toenails. If you've got a persistent problem or if you've got a nail infection, you'll need a doctor's care. Surgery to get rid of a part of the toenail and growth plate can treat severe problems from ingrown toenails.
• Plantar warts. Plantar warts appear as if calluses on the ball of the foot or on the heel. they'll appear to possess small pinholes or tiny black spots within the center. The warts are usually painful and should grow singly or in clusters. Plantar warts are caused by an epidemic that infects the outer layer of skin on the soles of the feet. If you're unsure if you've got a wart or a callus, let your doctor decide. they need several ways to get rid of them.

If you've got diabetes, having an excessive amount of glucose (aka sugar) in your blood for an extended time can cause some serious complications, including foot problems.

How Can Diabetes Affect Your Feet?
Diabetes can cause two problems which will affect your feet:

• Diabetic neuropathy. Uncontrolled diabetes can damage your nerves. If you've got damaged nerves in your legs and feet, you would possibly not feel heat, cold, or pain there. This lack of feeling is named "sensory diabetic neuropathy." If you are doing not feel a cut or sore on your foot due to neuropathy, the cut could worsen and become infected. The muscles of your foot might not work properly because nerves to the muscles are damaged. this might cause your foot to not align properly and make an excessive amount of pressure on one a part of your foot.
• Peripheral vascular disease. Diabetes also affects the flow of blood. Without good blood flow, it takes longer for a sore or move heal. Poor blood flow within the arms and legs is named "peripheral vascular disease." If you've got an infection which will not heal due to poor blood flow, you're in danger for developing ulcers or gangrene.