Diabetic Foot Care Checklist

A Handy Checklist for Our Diabetic Patients

When you have diabetes, you need to examine your feet every day. Look at all areas of your feet, including your toes. Use a handheld mirror or a magnifying mirror attached to the bathroom wall near the baseboard to inspect your feet. If you have poor visit, have someone else use this checklist to examine your feet for you.

Using this checklist helps you remember to examine all areas of your feet for daily foot exams.

Check your feet for the following:

Skin color

• Red, blue or black coloration

• Redness could point to irritation from shoes or overheating or other early signs of a problem. Do what you can to discover the cause and fix it, such as wearing shoes that fit better.

• Blue or black areas can mean bruising or blood flow problems. Call your doctor to report them.

Missing hair?

• Patches where hair is missing? Bald patches may mean irritation from shoes or a blood flow problem. Show the areas to your doctor during your next visit.

Blister

• Try to discover the cause of the blister. Friction or rubbing against your skin causes blisters. You may need new shoes.

• Do not break the blister or open it yourself. Leave the skin over the blister intact.

• Cover the blister with a sterile, nonstick dressing and paper tape.

• Call your doctor if any blister becomes red, oozes, or is not healing after 4 days.

Breaks in your skin

• Gently wash the area with mild soap; blot it dry and cover it with a sterile, nonstick dressing.

• Call your doctor if any break in the skin becomes red, oozes, or is not healing after 4 days.

Note: Examine the underside of your toes and the area between the toes for breaks in the skin.

Calluses (hardened areas of skin) and corns (pressure injuries, usually found on or between toes).

Show the area to your doctor at your next visit. This is very important.

• Do not use products sold in drugstores to remove corns, calluses, or other problems.

• Do not use a pumice stone on calluses unless your doctor or foot doctor (podiatrist) shows you how to use it properly.

• Do not cut, file, or do anything that may break the skin on your feet.

Peeling skin or tiny blisters between your toes or cracking and oozing of the skin. This may be athlete's foot. Treating athlete's foot early can prevent serious foot infections.

• To prevent athlete's foot, wear shower shoes or bathing shoes when you use public showers or pools. Otherwise, keep feet dry.

• Keep feet clean. Wear clean socks every day.

• Do not treat athlete's foot without first seeing your doctor or podiatrist.

Moisture between your toes

• Dry between your toes well. Moisture between your toes provides a good place for bacteria and fungi to grow, causing infection.

Feelings of numbness, burning, or "pins and needles"

• If you have new numbness or tingling in your feet that does not go away after changing position, call your doctor.

Sore (ulcer)

• Do not try to treat a foot ulcer at home. Call your doctor immediately. If you check your feet regularly, you usually will see a problem before it becomes an ulcer.

Ingrown toenail

• Do not treat an ingrown toenail at home. Do not dig into the corners of your nails for relief! Call your doctor for an appointment. These can become painful and infected if they are neglected. You can also cause permanent nerve damage by foregoing professional treatment by a doctor. Do not allow any pedicurist to convince you otherwise!

Need more help?

Want more information?

Call (626) 517-0022 and let our office know you'd like to schedule a diabetic foot check! Your insurance will cover this service.

Custom Orthotics vs. Over-The-Counter Orthotics

Why are our Orthotics better than a Prefab orthotic?

Orthotics is a very broad term. It can range from an off the shelf device that is built to fit an average foot with only minor problems to a custom pair created specifically for you. There are some prefab/over-the-counter orthotics that do work better than the rest. We can discuss these at your appointment- and we have them for sale at our office.

At Pasadena Orthopedics, each of our orthotics are made to fit the person's feet. We do this by scanning each foot using a digital scanner. It is not messy, highly accurate, and takes less than 5 minutes. The 3D scan is then sent to a laboratory for 3D printing. You will pick up your orthotics in 1-2 weeks.

Many insurances do cover one pair per year. However we also take cash payment if your plan does not cover this service.

If you have a severe lower extremity deformity, you may be better suited for an Ankle Foot Orthoses (AFO). This is also pictured below. Call 626-517-0022 for an appointment to be evaluated today!

Bunionette Deformity (Tailor's Bunion)

Overview: This bony bump forms on the outer side of the foot at the base of the fifth toe. Like a traditional bunion where the big toe is, a bunionette on the 5th toe can be sore and painful. The skin covering the bump can become red and irritated.

Causes: A bunionette is typically caused by footwear. High heel shoes and shoes with pointed toes are common culprits, because they place constant pressure on the toes and cause them to misalign. Bunionettes can also develop because of congenital structural problems of the foot.

Etiology: A bunionette forms gradually as the base of the fifth toe becomes partially dislocated. The toe turns inward, exposing the head of the metatarsal to the outer side of the foot. The head of this bone is then subjected to constant pressure from footwear, and this pressure causes a bony bump to form.

Symptoms: The most obvious symptom of a bunionette is a bony prominence at the base of the fifth toe. The skin at the bunionette may be thickened and calloused, and the bump may be tender and painful. A person who has a bunionette may have trouble finding comfortable shoes.

Treatment: Bunionettes can often be treated without surgery. A person with a bunionette may be encouraged to avoid wearing shoes that place stress on the toes. Pads can be worn on the outer side of the foot to help relieve pressure and cushion the foot. If these options are not effective, surgery may be needed to remove the bunionette and to realign the toe. This can be done through a minimal incision so you can get on with your life! Call us to discuss further at 626-517-0022.