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Diabetic Foot CareAka: Amputation Prevention in Diabetes Mellitus, Foot Wound Prevention

See Also
1. Diabetes Mellitus
2. Foot Wound
Complications: Diabetes Mellitus Foot conditions
General Foot Care
1. Self foot exam daily
2. Foot examined regularly at physician visits
  1. Perform Peripheral Neuropathy Testing
  2. Check for pedal pulses
3. Evaluate and aggressively treat new Foot Wounds
4. Avoid foot trauma
  1. Do not walk barefoot
  2. Cut nails carefully
  3. Avoid excessive heat or chemicals
    1. Avoid hydrogen peroxide
    2. Avoid iodine
Shoe selection and modifications
1. Obtain well-cushioned walking shoes
2. Shoes should have adequate room in toe box
3. Consider custom molded shoes
4. Break in a new shoe gradually
5. Reduce pressure points
  1. Cushioned insole
  2. Custom Orthotic
Consider corrective foot surgery for deformities
1. Hammertoe
2. Metatarsal head resection
3. Achilles tendon lengthening
References
1. Frykberg (2002) Am Fam Physician 66(9):1655
2. Frykberg (2000) J Foot Ankle Surg 39:S46

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This page was written by Scott Moses, MD. This page was last revised before 5/10/08, prior to consistent tracking of revision date. This page was last published on 6/1/2008. Please send comments and questions to the editor. Contact information may be found on the page About the Family Practice Notebook. These pages are best viewed with Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0.