Is it good for people with diabetes to soak their feet?

Written by Li Hui Zhi
Endocrinology
Updated on August 31, 2024
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Diabetic foot is primarily classified into a level 0 diabetic foot and levels 1 to 5 diabetic foot. If it is a level 0 diabetic foot and the patient does not have any wounds, then soaking the feet is permissible. Level 0 diabetic foot mainly refers to a high-risk diabetic foot, in which case soaking is allowed. However, care must be taken to ensure that the water temperature is not too high to avoid scalding the skin. If the diabetic foot has reached levels 1 to 5, where the patient has wounds and ulcerations, soaking the feet is not recommended, as it can easily worsen and exacerbate the wound ulcerations. Therefore, people with diabetes should consider their individual conditions to determine whether foot soaking is suitable.

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incidence of diabetic foot

As the number of diabetic patients increases, the incidence of diabetic foot also rises. Currently, the prevalence of diabetic foot in China is 5.7%, which is below the global average. Diabetic foot primarily occurs in patients who have had diabetes for over ten years, often due to poor blood sugar control and inadequate care. Diabetic foot is also one of the three major non-traumatic causes of amputation. Therefore, the most severe consequence of diabetic foot is amputation.

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How to relieve pain in diabetic foot?

If diabetic foot is combined with pain, it often depends on the severity of the diabetic foot. It has a Wagner grading system. If there is an obvious wound that extends to the bone, anti-infection treatment is very important, and surgical assessment is necessary to determine if the foot can be saved. If the wound is superficial and only involves the epidermis, local anti-infection and circulation improvement are fundamental. In such cases, COX-2 inhibitors and non-steroidal analgesic drugs may be used. If the pain is caused by peripheral neuropathy, the first step is to nourish the nerves, for example with mecobalamin, and treat the neuropathy with drugs like epalrestat, along with drugs like cilostazol that improve microcirculation. Effective treatments targeted at this type of neuropathic pain include drugs like pregabalin and etoricoxib, designed for bone pain, and gabapentin-related medications can also be used. (Medication should be used under the guidance of a doctor.)

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What to do if diabetic foot ulcer occurs?

If diabetic foot ulceration occurs, the most important first step is surgical debridement to remove necrotic tissue and thoroughly clean the wound. If the ulceration is particularly severe and there is gangrene, and the foot can no longer be preserved, amputation may even be necessary. Secondly, anti-infection treatment should be administered, choosing sensitive antibiotics. The third step is to control the underlying condition; treatment must control blood sugar levels to avoid hyperglycemia, as high blood sugar serves as a culture medium for bacteria. Fourth, it is necessary to improve local blood circulation; diabetic foot often coexists with arteriosclerosis of the lower limb arteries, even leading to occlusion. Therefore, it is necessary to improve the circulation of local blood vessels and open up the vessels. Fifth, the nutritional treatment of peripheral nerves must be improved. Treatment of diabetic foot is a comprehensive approach.

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Early signs of diabetic foot disease

Some early signs of diabetic foot disease include a decrease in skin temperature of both feet, such as constantly feeling coldness in the feet, which indicates insufficient blood supply. Another symptom is peripheral neuropathy, which manifests as numbness or burning in both feet, and unusual sensations like stepping on cotton or feeling like ants are crawling. These are also early signs of diabetic foot disease. Once there is a break in the skin surface, it is crucial to be vigilant as it might be diabetic foot disease. Diabetic foot disease is a very serious condition and one must take early preventive measures. At the slightest sign of any skin break, it is essential to seek proper treatment at a standard hospital.

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How to treat diabetic foot pain

Diabetic foot is a chronic complication of diabetes, characterized by arteriosclerosis, narrowing, and occlusion of the lower limb vessels, and peripheral neuropathy caused by multiple factors following diabetes. Treatment mainly involves improving circulation and nourishing nerves, including performing lower limb arterial ultrasound to assess the extent of vascular occlusion. When necessary, stenting or vascular recanalization can be performed, and treatments including stem cell therapy are also viable options. For pain, severe pain can generally be managed by vasodilation and symptomatic treatment.