How Diabetes Can Affect Your Foot Health

If you suffer from diabetes, managing the disease is crucial to maintaining your foot health. Diabetes can cause nerve damage, poor circulation, and can even alter the shape of your foot, leading to foot pain and toe damage. A podiatrist or foot specialist in Sugar Land can help you manage your foot health, and can diagnose and treat many foot problems that result from diabetes. Continue reading for more information on how diabetes can affect your foot health.

Diabetes Can Cause Neuropathy

Neuropathy, or nerve damage, is a common side effect of diabetes. This nerve damage can make your feel numb to pain and temperature, preventing you from noticing if you have injured your foot. Without proper treatment from a podiatrist, a foot injury can become much worse over time, leading to infection and permanent disfigurement.

Poor Circulation Due to Diabetes Can Damage Your Feet

The blood vessels in your feet and legs can harden due to diabetes, which results in decreased blood flow to your feet. If left untreated, this can develop into peripheral arterial disease, or PAD. PAD combined with neuropathy is very dangerous, as you may not recognize the symptoms of PAD quickly enough to seek help from a foot specialist. If PAD is not addressed, it can necessitate amputation of your foot or leg.

Diabetes Can Change the Skin and Shape of Your Feet

Diabetes can make the skin on your feet very dry, causing it to peel and crack. This makes you susceptible to foot infections. It can also cause calluses that may turn into foot ulcers over time. All of these symptoms can cause foot infections that may lead to amputation if left untreated. Neuropathy, skin damage, and poor circulation can also cause your feet and toes to change shape over time. This means that your shoes won’t fit as well, and may lead to ingrown toenails, hammertoe, and bunions.