Diabetic foot care

Diabetes can increase the incidence of foot related problems because it can damage the nerves in your feet and cause poor blood circulation. Small cuts and sores can take longer to heal, putting you at risk of infection. With diabetes, taking care of your feet is an absolute must and an annual foot exam is a great way to learn and prevent most serious problems related to the diabetic foot. The diabetic foot exam with our Nurses includes:

• General Assessment: we review your health history, and will ask you questions about your diabetes and foot health.
• Skin Assessment: we look for skin problems such as dryness, callouses, corns, blisters, fungus, ulcers, and heel cracks. We also look in between the toes.
• Toenail Assessment: we look for ingrown, involuted, thick and/ or fungal toenails.
• Neurologic Assessment: we perform a monofilament testing to evaluate your foot’s sensitivity to touch.
• Vascular Assessment: using our doppler ultrasound, we verify how the blood is flowing in your feet.
• Muscles and Bones: we look for any abnormalities or concerns with the shape, structure and strength of your feet.
• Footwear Exam: it’s important to look at your shoes as poorly fitted shoes can lead to ulcers and injuries. This includes indoor and outdoor footwear.
• You: most importantly, we ask how you are coping with managing your diabetes and foot health. Yes, you matter and our Nurses don’t just look at feet. They use a whole-person approach to health and well-being. Based on the foot screening exam, we work with you to build a comprehensive treatment plan to promote healthy lower limbs and prevent any foot complications.

During your initial appointment, our Foot Care Nurse will:

• Review your health history
• Provide a nursing lower limb assessment
• Evaluate your daily footwear
• Perform a diabetic foot exam and screening
• Provide full medical foot care treatments for toenails and skin (Medical Pedicure)
• Provide skin moisturizing demonstration
• Offer health teaching and hand-outs
• Send reports to your primary health care provider if required
• Depending on the assessment findings, our Foot Care Nurse will provide you with a customized plan of treatment

Professional routine appointments are recommended every 6-8 weeks to ensure that your feet are taken care of, and remain healthy. For prices and appointment details, please see below.

Diabetic feet are at risk of nerve damage and poor circulation.This means that the loss of sensation can put you at risk of injuries without you knowing. The reduced circulation to your feet means that small cuts and wounds can take time to heal. This can all lead to ulcers, infections, tissue death and amputation. Wearing ill-fitting and innapropriate footwear can break healthy skin. We offer a line of quality footwear and orthotic therapy that can help prevent calluses, skin rubbing, and foot pain, while providing suport and stability. We offer footwear assessments and fittings, gait scan analysis for custom orthotics, and biomechanic assessments so you are sure that you find comfortable and supportive shoes and inserts that fit you right!

Jobst SensiFOOT diabetic socks provide comfort and protection for your feet. They offer non constricting, mild compression (8-15mmHg). Jobst’s diabetic socks have a smooth, flat and soft toe seam, which reduces pressure and irritation on toes. Jobst diabetic socks are made with acrylic multi-fiber yarns allowing them to wick away moisture, keeping your feet comfortable, dry and protected. They have extra padding in the foot, heel and toe areas to reduce friction, providing added comfort.

Features:

• Anti-microbial finish helps prevent growth of bacteria and fungi on the socks to eliminate unpleasant foot odors.
• Moisture wicking acrylic fibers help keep feet cool and dry throughout the day.
• Non-irritating and smooth flat toe seams reduce irritation and pressure on sensitive toes and skin.
• Feature dense padding in the foot, heel and toe to reduce friction and provide cushioning for extra comfort.
• AVAILABLE IN M-L-XL
• AVAILABLE IN MINI-CREW (AT THE ANKLES) AND CREW (BELOW THE CALF MUSCLE)
• FOR AVAILABLE COLORS; See in clinic