Foot Health Resources for People with Diabetes
IPFH is committed to providing information, education and resources for people with diabetes and their caregivers to help ensure proper foot care and management of their diabetes. Click on the following links for more information:
- Watch a video on diabetes and preventive foot health
- Learn about daily foot care for people with diabetes
- Learn about how to get a proper fit with padded socks and shoes
- Download and print a guide for getting a proper fit with padded socks and shoes to take with you when purchasing new footwear
- Find out about caring for the feet of other people with diabetes or other conditions affecting circulation and nerves of the lower extremities
- Learn about foot ulcers
- Learn more about neuropathy
- See research related to the benefits of clinically tested padded socks for people with diabetes
- Access a poster on foot care for people with diabetes presented by Bob Thompson, Executive Director of IPFH, at a recent American Association of Diabetes Educators conference
- Go to the Amputee Coalition web site to learn about preventing amputations related to diabetes
- Go to the National Library of Medicine's web site to learn more about all aspects of diabetes
- Find out about Medicare's coverage for therapeutic shoes and inserts for people with diabetes.
- Learn more about nutrition to help control blood sugar - the first step in taking care of your feet.
- Learn why physical activity is of major benefit in helping control diabetes.
- Good information from the U.S. National Institute on Aging about diabetes for people aged 65 and older: Diabetes in older people.
More about Diabetes and the Feet
According to the American Diabetes Association…
• About 29 million children and adults in the United States have diabetes;
• Another 86 million Americans have pre-diabetes and are at risk for developing type 2 diabetes;
• The estimated total national cost of diagnosed diabetes in the United States is $176 billion.
IPFH strongly advocates that people with diabetes take extra care to help prevent damage to the feet that can result in ulceration and amputation. Here’s why:
- According to the National Institutes of Health, 60% to 70% of people with diabetes have some form of neuropathy (nerve problems / loss of sensation);
- Neuropathy and other circulatory conditions (such as peripheral arterial disease or PAD) that affect the lower limbs put people with diabetes at high risk for ulceration and amputation;
- According to IPFH's National Foot Health Assessment 2012, the prevalence of diabetes in the U.S. adult population is 11%, but that percentage nearly doubles in people age 50 and over (19%);
- IPFH's National Foot Health Assessment also reported that fewer than half (46%) of people with diabetes have regular foot screenings with their doctor;
- IPFH's National Foot Health Assessment further reported that only 11% of people with diabetes said that they were properly measured and fitted each time they purchase new shoes (poorly fitted shoes contribute to the formation of sores and lesions on the feet that can lead to ulceration and amputation in people with diabetes).
