Diabetes foot assessments are performed to detect any issues that could put suffers of diabetes at risk.
Diabetes is a serious and complex condition that affects more than 1.2 million Adult Australians.
Undiagnosed Diabetes and poorly managed blood sugar levels can have ill effects on the whole body and the feet and legs often suffer.
Our Podiatrists are expertly trained and highly experienced at providing foot care for patients diagnosed with diabetes.
How does diabetes affect your feet?
Diabetes can affect your feet and legs in 2 main ways:
Damaging the foot and leg nerves (Peripheral Neuropathy)
Damage to the nerves of the feet and legs can result in numbness, a loss of protective sensation, tingling, burning and significant pain. It can also be completely painless. Damage to the nerves can also impact on your bodies ability to use your muscles and can damage balance and co-ordination. This loss of feeling can result in some people being unaware of damage or injury to the skin and lead to the development of wounds and ulceration without them noticing.
Damaging the foot and leg blood flow (Peripheral Vascular Disease)
Narrowing of the blood vessels results in a reduction in the amount of blood flow that is brought down to your feet and legs. This can limit your bodies ability to heal properly and in a timely fashion and can result in infection and wounds that risk becoming chronic ulcerations.
Foot wounds and ulcerations are an incredibly serious issue that can very easily result in hospitalisation and sometimes amputation. There are more than 4,400 amputations every year that result from diabetic foot wounds that are neglected and mismanaged in Australia.
Simple foot problems like these below can put your feet at risk of complications such as ulceration and amputation.
The good news is that all these complications can be avoided with proper diabetes care and regular foot care.
How Can We Help?
The diabetes foot assessment
It is essential that patients with diabetes are assessed at a minimum of 12 months to assess limb health and prevent deterioration.
Our Podiatrists are expertly trained at detecting and treating any issues that may be a result of Diabetes or that put you at risk of suffering a complication of diabetes.
In your diabetes foot assessment we will look at:
blood circulation
nerve function
skin condition
bone and joint function
walking style
footwear
We will also assess and treat any skin or nail lesions that may be putting you at risk. These may include things such as blisters, corns, calluses, cracked heels, bunions, ingrown toes nails and elongated toe nails to name a few.
After completing the assessment, we will advise you of your risk status and write a letter to your General Practitioner/Endocrinologist to outline our findings. We create a treatment plan tailored just for you to address any measures required and advise of at home practices that can be implemented to reduce risk between visits.
Podiatry is vital in the management of diabetes foot health & the prevention of diabetic foot complications.
Make a podiatrist appointment
If you are interested in a skin and toenail condition consultation, make an appointment with one of our podiatrists today.
From assessment and diagnosis to extraordinary treatment, every step of your journey with us will deliver you the ultimate podiatric experience, resulting in healthier and happier feet.
Book a consultation with our podiatrists in Sydney (Macquarie St), Darlinghurst and Randwick to discuss your condition and we’ll get you pain-free and back to full function as smoothly and quickly as possible, so you can return to the activities and life you love.