Carefully observing the health of your feet may not be at the top of your mind after a diabetes diagnosis. But foot care is a vital piece in solving the diabetes puzzle. Diabetes frequently disrupts nerve communication and the normal flow of blood to your feet. This can result in not feeling pain when an injury occurs or a decrease in blood flow to your feet. A decrease in blood flow leaves your feet lacking in certain nutrients that travel through blood vessels and are associated with healing and nourishment. Read on to learn about the importance of diabetic foot care in San Leandro, CA by Dr. Michael Stein and Dr. Zeineldin Ahmad from Foot Doctor of the East Bay.

What Are Some Foot Concerns That May Accompany a Diabetes Diagnosis?

A problem that begins as a mild issue may be a minor annoyance to an otherwise healthy person, but if you have diabetes, small things can progress into serious conditions in the diabetic patient. An example of this is a small cut or burn that the person with diabetes is unaware of and fails to address until it becomes a major issue.

Two factors cause the above scenario. First, diabetes can disrupt the pain signals relayed by nerves, causing you to not feel the cut or burn to your foot when it happens. This is known as peripheral neuropathy. Second, diabetes may impair the blood supply to your foot, a condition known as peripheral vascular disease (PVD). If you have PVD, healing does not take place in a normal way. Additional issues in the feet that may accompany a diagnosis of diabetes are:

• Ulcers
• Bunions
• Corn 
• Callouses
• Infections
• Ingrown toenails

The above conditions are certainly not specific to patients with diabetes, but they occur more often in diabetic patients due to a lack of blood supply. It is a good idea to inspect your feet daily for cuts, scrapes, bruises, and burns. Call your podiatrist immediately if your feet have a different appearance or you see something new that wasn't there before.

Are There Other Symptoms Peripheral Neuropathy and Pvd Can Cause?

If left unmanaged, peripheral neuropathy and peripheral vascular disease can lead to the following conditions and are reasons that diabetic foot care is critical in San Leandro, CA.

• Tingling and numbness in the feet
• Pain and weakness in the calf, at rest or with exercise
• Cold sensations and inability to warm up your feet
• Hair loss on the legs and feet
• Abnormally dry skin.

Contact Us

Receive diabetic foot care in San Leandro, CA with Dr. Michael Stein and Dr. Zeineldin Ahmad from Foot Doctor of the East Bay. Schedule a consultation with us by calling our San Leandro office at (510) 483-3390 or our location in Pleasanton at (925) 425-9684.

The world-famous Cirque du Soleil will be bringing its latest production, Kurios: Cabinet of Curiosities, to AT&T Park in San Francisco from November 14, 2014 to January 18, 2015. These spectacular shows combine mind-bending circus acrobatics with theatrical storytelling to create a truly unique experience.

While performers in the Cirque du Soleil have honed a sense of balance that allows them to pull off amazing stunts, if you’re older and you suffer from diabetes, you may have difficulty finding stable-enough footing to merely walk down stairs or hike uneven terrain. We all start to slowly lose our ability to balance starting at around age 40, but those with diabetes have it especially hard, since nerve damage in your legs and feet can prevent you from sensing the ground as you walk. The resulting injuries from falls and slips can be more serious, too, since the disease is associated with slower healing.

Fortunately, balance and diabetes do not have to be mutually exclusive. In addition to properly managing your condition, try incorporating some of these exercises into your daily routine to keep your ankles strong and your sense of stability sharp.

• Walk sideways, backward, or heel-to-toe in a straight line. These exercises engage and strengthen stabilizing muscles.
• Stand on one leg. If you need help, put both hands on a table before lifting your leg. Once you feel stable and comfortable, lift one hand. Once you can do that, lift the other hand. If you’re really feeling steady, try closing your eyes.
• While sitting or standing, grab a towel off of the floor with your toes, lift it, and set it back down.
• Stand on a cushion or pillow.
• If you are healthy enough, taking a tai chi class or any kind of martial arts training is a great way to improve balance and lower body strength, and it can be fun and relaxing, too. If you like to hit the gym, lower-body resistance training often yields balance benefits as well.

Proper balance and diabetes should go hand-in-hand to help prevent slips and falls that can lead to sprains, wounds, and fractures—injuries that can quickly worsen due to complications from your condition. If you do fall, call Foot Doctor of the East Bay right away—we can help. Dial (510) 483-3390 to set up an appointment, or check out one of our three Bay Area offices.

Photo Credis: Jesslef via Pixabay.com

When it comes to staying healthy with diabetes, footwear plays a large role. Many individuals fall short on foot care and fail to wear appropriate shoes. Avoid foot ulcers and other complications by ensuring that you are wearing shoes specific to your needs.

Get your feet measured and fitted before making any purchases. Though there is no such thing as the perfect shoes for those with diabetes, there are some tips you can adhere to while buying footwear, including, shopping later in the day when your feet are naturally more swollen and at their largest. Have your shoes fitted with socks on too, and have your feet measured periodically because they change over time.

Dr. Michael Stein and Zeindelin Ahmad, DPM also suggest looking for footwear that is made of soft leather, because of its ability to stretch and conform to the shape of your unique feet. It's also important to select a shoe that has a cushioned sole for shock absorption, as well as laced shoes, since they provide a better fit and better support. Your shoes should be replaced as soon as there are signs of damage, or as areas begin to wear down.

Making smart footwear choices can help prevent or delay the onset of foot ulcers and other diabetic foot complications. Follow through on purchasing proper shoes for those with diabetes. Come on in to get your feet measured at the Foot Doctor of the East Bay in California, today! If you're at a high risk for complications and already have foot or ankle issues, you should visit more frequently. Call one of our three offices located in San Leandro, Pleasanton, or Los Gatos, CA.

Photo Credit: Arvind Balaraman via FreeDigitalPhotos.net

San Leandro, CA, is ready to celebrate this year’s Cherry Festival. If you plan to spend Saturday, May 31, enjoying the parade, food, and of course, the cherries, then today is the perfect day to make sure your feet are festival-ready. People with diabetes have an even greater need to monitor their feet closely, and daily diabetic foot checks are vital to maintaining foot health.

If you think checking your feet daily seems extreme, remember the nature of diabetes. The disease can lead to loss of feeling in the feet, which means that a cut or simple blister can go undetected. Once a break in the skin occurs, there is an open door for infection.

Reduced blood flow that hinders healing is another result of diabetes. It takes very little time, even less than 24 hours, for an infection to develop and begin to spread. Without the typical pain signals being sent, you may not even realize that there is a problem.

How can you keep your feet healthy and ready for the next community event?

• Always wear shoes and choose footwear that fits well
• Keep your feet dry and clean (including your toes)
• Moisturize to keep skin from cracking (avoid the area between the toes)
• Check your feet every day, and look for changes in coloration.
• Grab a mirror to see the soles of your feet or ask a family member for help.
• Call the office if an area of your foot feels unusually warm or cold, looks swollen, or if you find
• a break in the skin (abrasions, corns, blisters, etc.).

Many people who have diabetes feel alone in the fight for healthy feet. At the Foot Doctor of the East Bay, you’ll find a team of experts ready to help you through every step of this journey. Seeing Dr. Michael Stein or Dr. Zeindelin Ahmad regularly for exams will give you peace of mind and the excellent podiatric care that you deserve. Call one of three locations for your convenience, or schedule online.

Photo Credit: nenovbrothers via FreeDigitalPhotos.net