Diabetic Foot

Patients with Diabetes are at risk of developing foot complications such as:

• Peripheral vascular disease due to high blood sugar (chronic hyperglycaemia) causing atherosclerosis of the smaller blood vessels in the feet. This can result in cramps in your calves when walking (intermittent claudication) or at rest and/or wounds on the foot that will not heal.

• Peripheral neuropathy due from hyperglycaemia, resulting loss of feeling, numbness, burning, tingling of the feet. The skin can be come dry or shiny through loss of sweating with loss of hair growth. Also resulting in non-healing wounds.

It is important to contact your GP and see a Podiatrist if you are experiencing any of the above symptoms. In the worse cases complications can lead to infected chronic foot ulcers and even amputation.

The diabetic foot assessment will consist of:

• In depth medical and medication history.

• Observation of the skin, nails and deformities of the foot.

• Doppler ultrasound and palpation of the arteries of the feet to assess for peripheral vascular diseases.

• Monofilament test to assess for protective sensation loss and peripheral neuropathy.

• Information and education on the results and your diabetic foot category (according to NICE guidelines).

• Included in the service will be any nail or skin care treatment needed (e.g. thicken nail, hard skin or corns).

Diabetic patients should receive annual diabetic foot checks from a qualified medical professional (e.g. podiatrist or diabetes nurse).