Diabetes is a condition in which the processes by which the body uses sugars for energy are disrupted. Even with the best care, sugar levels can get dangerously high or dangerously low. These highs and lows also produce poisonous acidic chemicals in the blood which together with the sugar imbalances can damage the body in general and the feet in particular.
There are two basic types of Diabetes;
Early onset, which usually develops during a person’s teens or twenties. This type is treated with insulin and is also called Insulin Dependant Diabetes Mellitus or IDDM.
Late onset, which usually develops later in a person’s life, although incidents are currently occurring earlier and earlier. This type is usually treated by a combination of diet and medication. It is also called Non-Insulin Dependant Diabetes Mellitus or NIDDM.
If you have either type, your feet can be much more at risk of infection
and ulceration than a person with normal feet. This is particularly true
of people with the late onset type or NIDDM.
Diabetes put the foot at risk for of the following reasons;
The arteries supplying the feet with fresh blood can become clogged.
The nerves in the feet, which give feeling and which help control movement become damaged.
Toe nails and callouses become abnormally hard and brittle and can cause ulceration in underlying tissues.
The immune system becomes much less effective particularly in the feet leaving them more open to infection.
The small blood vessels in the skin of the feet become impaired leading to reduced ability to perspire and to maintain a healthy temperature.
At Bill Bird Shoes we have a lot of experience helping people with diabetes to care for their feet using footwear that is soft and supportive with minimal seams.
Diabetes develops very differently in each individual and it also changes over time. At Bill Bird Shoes, we would assess your footwear needs based on the recommendations of your medical professionals.
For more detail, please refer back to the conditions menus and read the following;
Fragile Skin
Nerve Damage
Swollen Feet
Unusually shaped feet.
If you do have diabetes, you may not be suffering all of the above symptoms at the moment, but it is wise to anticipate for them now in your footwear, because if symptoms do show, the damage may have already been done.
If you like what you see on this page or would like more
information, the please give us a call on 01386 700855
where one of our skilled staff will be only too pleased to
help you. Alternatively you might like to view our
