What happens to your toes if you have diabetes?
Although rare, nerve damage from diabetes can lead to changes in the shape of your feet, such as Charcot’s foot. Charcot’s foot may start with redness, warmth, and swelling. Later, bones in your feet and toes can shift or break, which can cause your feet to have an odd shape, such as a “rocker bottom.”
How do you know if you have diabetes in your toes?
Signs of Diabetic Foot Problems Swelling in the foot or ankle. Pain in the legs. Open sores on the feet that are slow to heal or are draining. Ingrown toenails or toenails infected with fungus.
What is the diabetic foot?
If you have diabetes, your blood glucose, or blood sugar, levels are too high. Over time, this can damage your nerves or blood vessels. Nerve damage from diabetes can cause you to lose feeling in your feet. You may not feel a cut, a blister or a sore. Foot injuries such as these can cause ulcers and infections.
Does diabetes cause hammer toe?
Your feet may become deformed and misshapen if you walk abnormally for an extended period of time. In fact, about half of all people with diabetes have a hammer toe or claw toe deformity or a Charcot foot deformity, caused by an abnormal walk.
Why can’t diabetics cut toenails?
Although a nice, rounded cut is often preferred over a square clipping, diabetics must be careful making curved clips. Cutting too far into the corners of your toenails can lead to the formation of ingrown nails, oftentimes leading to an infection.
Is numbness in toes a symptom of diabetes?
Diabetic neuropathy can cause numbness or tingling in your fingers, toes, hands, and feet. Another symptom is a burning, sharp, or aching pain (diabetic nerve pain). The pain may be mild at first, but it can get worse over time and spread up your legs or arms.
What part of the foot hurts with diabetes?
Diabetic foot pain is mainly due to a condition called peripheral neuropathy. Approximately 50% of people who have type 2 diabetes will develop peripheral neuropathy, which happens when high blood sugar levels cause damage to the nerves in the legs and the feet.
What does diabetes do to legs?
Having diabetes can damage the nerves and blood vessels that supply your legs and feet. This puts affected people at increased risk of developing ulcers on the feet and legs which can become infected, and in the worst cases, develop gangrene (where the tissue dies, resulting in the need for amputation).
Why do diabetics have thick toenails?
Diabetics often have reduced blood flow to their feet, which may cause thicker toenails or numbness. With psoriasis, the nail may lift away from the toe. Make sure you take good care of yourself to avoid complications of either diabetes or psoriasis.
Should diabetics wear socks to bed?
Consider socks made specifically for patients living with diabetes. These socks have extra cushioning, do not have elastic tops, are higher than the ankle and are made from fibers that wick moisture away from the skin. Wear socks to bed. If your feet get cold at night, wear socks.
What are the symptoms of diabetic foot problems?
Diabetes and Foot Problems 1 Peripheral vascular disease. Diabetes also affects the flow of blood. 2 Fungal infection of nails… 3 Calluses. A callus is a build-up of hard skin, usually on the underside of the foot. 4 Corns. A corn is a build-up of hard skin near a bony area of a toe or between toes.
What to do if you have a diabetic Bunion on your foot?
If the bunion causes severe pain or deformity, you might need surgery to realign your toes. Dry skin. Dry skin can crack, which can allow germs to enter. Use moisturizing soaps and lotions to keep your skin moist and soft. Ask your doctor which ones to use. Diabetic ulcers. A foot ulcer is a break in the skin or a deep sore.
What can I use for diabetic foot pain?
Any ointment or gel as long as it contains tea tree oil, lemongrass oil or calendula should work for this purpose. This ointment has been proven to kill some bacteria or prevent them from growing. There are other supplements that can be used at home to tackle the diabetic foot pain problems.
How can you tell if you have diabetes on your hands?
On the hands, you’ll notice tight, waxy skin on the backs of your hands. The fingers can become stiff and difficult to move. If diabetes has been poorly controlled for years, it can feel like you have pebbles in your fingertips. Hard, thick, and swollen-looking skin can spread, appearing on the forearms and upper arms.