What are the Symptoms of Diabetic Foot?
All kinds of changes that occur in the foot of a diabetic patient are included in the definition of “diabetic foot”. Dryness in the feet of these patients; changes in the shape of their fingers and feet (hammer-shaped fingers, claw-shaped feet); calluses on the soles of the feet, on the faces of the fingers facing the shoes, on the edges of the feet, on the heel are structural changes that facilitate wound opening in these feet. A diabetic patient’s foot redness, temperature increase, new onset of pain or pain, swelling in the foot or fingers, a discharging wound should bring diabetic foot infection to mind.
What Should Be Considered in Diabetic Foot?
If a diabetic patient has developed sensory loss in the feet, the patient should check the feet at least once a week with the help of a mirror for skin discolouration, redness, cuts, blisters, fungus or a newly opened wound. If the patient’s physical condition or visual functions are not suitable for this, it should be done by the carer or a relative. Socks should not squeeze the foot and should be cotton. Before putting on shoes, it should be checked by hand and by eye whether there is a foreign body inside.
Shoes should be chosen from comfortable, soft, round-toed, rubber-soled shoes. It should be preferred to use specially produced insoles according to the gait analysis of the person. If there is a deformity in the patient’s feet, custom-made shoes should be preferred. When new shoes are purchased, they should not be worn for more than 2-3 hours a day until they get used to them. The patient should not get too close to stoves, electric heaters and heating radiators to warm his/her feet and should never try to warm the feet with a hot water bag.