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Save Your Remaining Leg - Be Alert to Triggers second foot or leg amputation.
Toenail Issues
Toenail problems are very common and can cause pain or functional disabilities for people with diabetes. If you’ve already had an amputation, your foot care professional should cut the toenails on the remaining foot. If you hit your nail against an object like a doorframe or chair leg, or drop something on it, your nail will suffer blunt force trauma. You may suffer a hematoma (blood under the nail) that may need to be evacuated to relieve your pain. Other treatment may include debriding (cleaning) or reducing the thickness of the nail. In some cases, the nail is permanently removed. An ingrown toenail can be dangerous for people with diabetes. If a piece of your nail gets imbedded in the soft tissue adjacent to the nail, don’t attempt to solve this problem on your own. A podiatrist can remove a portion of the side of the nail in a painless procedure under local anesthesia. You will need to wear a surgical shoe until the site heals. If you get a toenail fungus, mold or yeast infection, your nail may thicken and change color. A deformed toenail can scrape the adjacent toe and cause an ulcer or cause a collection of pus (abscess) to develop under the toenail as a result of pressure from the shoe against the nail. A soft tissue infection that goes unattended may turn into a bone infection.
Common Foot Problems
Inspect your feet daily, and contact a professional if you detect an unexplained foot odor, redness, warmth, pus, tenderness, pain, swelling, abnormal positioning, or if you have trouble putting weight on your
foot. Fever, chills and high blood pressure combined with elevated blood sugars may mean an infection has spread; go to an Emergency Room immediately.
Pain
Pain is a red flag; if you have any of the following foot health issues, seek medical attention.
• Heel pain may be inflamed soft tissue but can also result from a broken bone, a tight Achilles tendon, a pinched nerve, arthritis or other problems. • Ankle sprains, if left untreated,
FACT: Every 30 seconds, a limb is lost due to diabetes. increase your risk of repeated sprains and chronic ankle instability. • Big toe stiffness and pain usually develops over time as the cartilage in the big toe joint wears down and eventually leads to arthritis. The sooner a doctor diagnoses it, the easier it is to treat. • Achilles tendonitis causes pain and tenderness at the back of the foot or heel, usually from a sudden increase in physical activity. • Pinched nerves, neuritis and neuromas are nerve problems that can affect the front of the foot, heel and/or ankle. The most common nerve problem in people with diabetes is a burning, shooting, tingling or numbing feeling in the area of the toes and just behind the toes on the bottom of the foot. Testing is available to identify each of the possible reasons for your pain, so there
MAY/JUNE/JULY 2012 Amp it up! magazine
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