Diabetic Foot Care

Conditions

Diabetic Foot Health Checks

We know that if you suffer with diabetes, maintaining good foot health is very important. Having regular checks and addressing any problems early can potentially be limb saving. Our team of specialist podiatrists can help you with all your foot care needs, including examining your shoes and making sure they fit because around 76% of people wear shoes that are the wrong size. We are also able to complete ABPI, (ankle brachial pressure index) testing to assess the quality of the blood flow down to the foot and ankle region. Maintaining good foot health is essential when living with diabetes and we can help you with that and develop a plan that is just right for you.

Conditions

Diabetic & Foot health review

Diabetic & foot health reviews are a vital part of a health check as we get older. If you are living with diabetes nerve and blood supply can be affected. Any changes that happen can increase the risk of problems occurring that you may not be aware of. If you are over the age of 50 it is recommended to have annual reviews to make sure there are no sings of nerve or blood supply changes. So having regular reviews are important to detect any potential changes early.

What is involved

In our Diabetic & foot health health reviews. We complete a full assessment, checking for any lesions and problems, also checking:-

Vascular supply

Checking pulses, blood pressure and blood supply, as this can be affected by diabetes and the ageing process. We use our MESI machine to check your ABPI. This can identify any differences in blood pressure in your arms and legs, which is a key indicator of how good the blood supply is to the lower limb.

Nerve supply

Checking sensation in the feet is important to see if there are any changes that may mean you can’t feel increased pressure or rubbing.

Footwear assessment

Using the right shoes for the right job is key. Poor fitting shoes can cause corns and callus, which can become problematic. Did you know that over 68% of people wear shoes that are the wrong size.

Our MESI machine

This is a wireless machine that can help to measure your blood pressure and calculate your ABPI.

What is ABPI?

ABPI stands for ankle brachial pressure index and it is the difference in blood pressure between the ankle and the arm.

Why is it important?

It can help assess the quality of the blood flow and supply to the leg, and look at the risk of peripheral artery disease (PAD). In the UK one in five people over the age of 60 has PAD.

What do the results mean?

Normal = 0.92-1.3

An ABPI above 1.3 is usually indicative of non-compressible blood vessels, which can happen with diabetes.

An ABPI <0.9 indicates some arterial disease, meaning the blood supply to the leg is reduced, so you are at high risk of developing problems.

The report

You will be given a full report, including any recommendations for treatment.

This may include advice on exercise, footwear, and smoking, if you are a smoker.

We can review the report and compare to previous reports and data, and recommend the frequency of foot health checks. A copy of the report and treatment plan is also sent to your GP.