How to Prevent Amputation for Diabetes Patients

ON diabetics, trifecta problems resulting in amputation, ie, numbness in the feet. Consequently, this nerve damage makes it less aware of injuries and leg ulcers. Ulcers that fail to treat, in turn, lead to serious infections.


"Usually, people with injuries at the bottom of their feet, like a blister, will change the way over. Style run will be changed to protect the blister place until cured," says Joseph LeMaster, MD, assistant professor at the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Medicine , as quoted Health.

However, he asserted, people lose sensation, can not do it. They'll just walk right on top of the foot blister, as if this problem does not exist. The longer the rupture, become infected, and transformed into what we call a foot ulcer.

"Ulcers can penetrate to the bone and into the street for the infection to the entire foot. This is what leads to amputation," he said.

Leg injuries, the most common cause of hospitalization

Approximately 15 percent of all diabetics will develop foot ulcers at some point, even 24 percent of them needed amputation.

"The most common reason a person is hospitalized due to diabetes, not by high blood sugar or heart attack or stroke, but for a hole in the foot, a wound," said David G Armstrong DPM, Diabetic Foot Disease Specialist Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science in North Chicago.

Check your feet every day

The most important thing, diabetics can prevent the problem of leg ulcers.

"The most important thing you can do to prevent diabetes is a problem with seeing their feet every day, just like combing hair or brushing teeth," said Dr Armstrong.

You can use the mirror to check the legs or ask family members to do so. Increasing the temperature of the foot, which can be detected with special infrared thermometer, can be an early sign of trouble.

"Legs will feel the heat before the skin is broken," said Dr Armstrong.

Another way to prevent foot problems

Here are tips to prevent foot problems from the National Diabetes Education Program:

- Stop smoking if you smoke. Smoking is considered a possible factor of diabetes foot disease.

- Be alert to increased blood sugar. According to the study of United Kingdom Prospective Diabetes Study, people with type 2 diabetes that lowering blood glucose through intensive therapy less risky for treatment.

- Choose shoes carefully.

- Cut toenails carefully or ask someone else to do it if it was numb. (Ftr)