"The single most important thing that a person with diabetes can do to prevent a problem is to look at their feet every day, just as they comb their hair or brush their teeth," says Dr. Armstrong. You can use a mirror to examine your feet or have a family member check your feet for you.
An increase in the temperature of your foot, which can be detected with a special infrared thermometer, can be an early sign of trouble. "The foot will get hot before the skin breaks down," says Dr. Armstrong.
In a study published in 2007 of 225 patients, which was conducted by Dr. Armstrong and colleagues, half of the patients checked the temperature in six places on each foot twice daily and half examined their feet visually. If there was more than four degrees' difference between the left foot, the thermometer-using patients contacted their doctor.
At the end of the 18-month study, about 5% of patients who used the thermometer developed a foot ulcer compared to 12% of patients who did not. (Dr. Armstrong owns stock in the themometer manufacturer, Xilas Medical, and is a former consultant for the company.)
Other ways to prevent foot problems
Here are more tips on preventing foot problems from the National Diabetes Education Program.
- Quit smoking if you're a smoker. Smoking is considered a likely factor in diabetic foot disease.
- Be super-vigilant about your controlling your blood sugar. According to results of the United Kingdom Prospective Diabetes Study, people with type 2 diabetes who lower their blood glucose through intensive therapy are at reduced risk for neuropathy.
- Choose shoes carefully.
- Cut your toenails carefully or have someone else do it if you already have numbness.
