Proper care of feet can prevent amputation in diabetics, say experts

Nearly 70% of diabetes patients have reduced ability to feel pain or temperature. They cannot recognise tingling, burning or pinprick sensation, numbness and cramps, diabetologists said at a webinar on April 7

Nearly 70% of diabetes patients have reduced ability to feel pain or temperature. They cannot recognise tingling, burning or pinprick sensation, numbness and cramps, diabetologists said at a webinar held on Friday.

Held on the eve of World Health Day which is celebrated on April 7 every year, diabetologists touched upon the need for foot care. It is necessary to identify high-risk feet in persons with diabetes as healthy feet are vital to overall health, they said.

The Hindu Wellness Webinar on “How to prevent foot complications in people with diabetes” was presented by the M.V. Diabetes - Chennai/Bengaluru.

Vijay Vishwanathan, head and chief diabetologist of M.V. Diabetes, Chennai, and G. Senthil, consultant, diabetic foot surgeon, M.V. Diabetes, explained that neglecting the feet could mean inviting infections that could lead to serious risks such as amputation.

Dr. Vijay said preventive podiatry is not difficult to achieve if individuals are in good control of their diabetes. The one-minute Ipswitch Touch Test (that is just touching the first, third and fifth toe with a finger and feeling it with eyes closed) and regularly examining the sole of the feet with a mirror for cuts and bruises would alert them for early treatment and proper intervention.

The loss of protective sensation and the ignorance or neglect in self-examining at home leads to the delay in diabetic foot care, Dr. Senthil said. It is important to identify the areas of pressure under the foot to prevent diabetic neuropathy and other complications such as foot ulceration and necrosis, he said.

The doctors emphasised that wearing the right footwear was an integral part of diabetic foot care. They advised wearing of socks and not leaving any wound open besides wearing customised foot wear as primary preventive steps to diabetic foot. Dr. Senthil said people should take the timeline for healing of a wound. “Late presentation is the major cause of amputation,” he said.