Diabetic Foot Check- What to expect

Have you been diagnosed with diabetes? Have you been told to get your feet checked? If you want to know why and what’s involved in your diabetic foot check, then this blog is for you.

I want to explain why it’s important and how it can help you…

So, what happens during the foot check?

Firstly, I’m going to look at your pulses in your feet. Yes! You have pulses in your feet. I use my doppler machine which gives me a sound output of what your blood flow sounds like and that tells me how elastic and healthy your blood vessels are. In other words, how good the circulation is to your feet.

 

 

Next, I’m going to be testing your sensation with a Neurotip. Many people thinks it’s a needle but it’s not! It’s a very fine fibre that has a gauge of 10g with of pressure. When you touch the skin with it you feel a little bit of pressure, so if you feel that, it’s a good sign that your sensation is intact. If you’re not aware of standing on something sharp, then you can injure yourself and so it’s making sure that you’re aware of those risks early on so that you can take extra precautions and look after yourself.

 

The next thing I use is my tuning fork! You might be wondering, what’s music got to do with a foot health check for diabetes? Let me explain… the tuning fork vibrates. When you put a vibrating tuning fork on a joint (and you’ve got lots of joints in your foot! The vibration is detected by your nerves. Again, if that’s intact, happy days, everything is fine!

 

So, why do you need to know all of this?

It’s to make you aware if your diabetes has affected your feet, your circulation, your sensation. Do you need to take any extra precautions to look after yourself and keep your feet healthy?

If you’d like more help or advice you can book an appointment here!