26/06/2025
🦶Diabetic foot assessments available at Rose Cottage Podiatry & Chiropody 🦶
‼️Most foot problems can be prevented by taking care of your feet and having an annual diabetic foot check.‼️
How does diabetes affect the feet❔
🧠Neurological (Nerves) - Over time, high blood sugar levels can affect small blood vessels that are responsible for supplying the nerves in the feet with essential nutrients in order for them to function effectively. Damage to the nerves due to lack of blood supply can lead to nerve damage, this is a cause for concern as damage may be done to the foot without realisation.
💡1 in 4 people with diabetes experience complications due to nerve damage. 💡
🩸Circulation - This includes the blood flow to the feet. Sufficient blood flow to the feet is essential for healing. Damage or hardening and narrowing of blood vessels supplying blood to the feet can seriously impair healing leading to ulcerations, infections and in extreme cases amputations if left untreated.
💡Every year thousands of people have toes, feet and even legs, amputated because of diabetes related foot problems. Most of these could have been prevented by proper foot care. 💡
What do we do in a diabetic assessment❔
First of all we do a visual inspection to identify any deformities or areas of pressure and what could be the cause of this and advise how we could avoid this.
Then a Neurological assessment - using a 10g monofilament ten areas of the foot are tested to indicate any neuropathy.
Followed by testing Circulation - two pulses in the foot called the Dorsalis Pedis and Tibialis Anterior are palpated. A doppler is then used to identify how fast the blood is moving, if it is regular or if something is stopping the blood flow.
The podiatrist will then put you into a risk category (low, moderate or high) based on the findings and this can then be sent to the GP along with any advised referrals.