Regular foot screenings are an important part of diabetic self-care. If you haven’t begun a regular foot-screening routine, it’s never too late to start. Proper monitoring and care for your feet is key to protecting your toenails, the skin around them, and your overall circulatory system.
Ask your clinician at Aldershot Foot Care Clinic about Inlow’s 60-second diabetic foot screen. This is a popular screening method to help identify feet that are high-risk for complications down the road. There are 12 elements of the tool and it requires very little equipment.
When performing this assessment, our foot care team member will assign a value to each of the 12 screening elements and make specific recommendations for that patient based on the value of each element.
The clinician will have the patient remove their socks and shoes, and assess the following for each foot:
1. Skin and nail changes
2. Loss of sensation (peripheral neuropathy)
3. Peripheral Arterial Disease
4. Bone deformities
Once the feet have been assessed, your foot care provider will determine the risk of developing ulcers, or, in very serious cases, amputation. Based on the risk-level assigned, the clinician will work with the patient to create a personalized plan of care to address any issues occurring or prevent issues from developing.
There’s a lot you can do on your own between appointments at Aldershot Foot Care Clinic & Mobile Services that will keep your feet healthy.
First, keep your glucose levels under control, and if you smoke, it’s time to quit. Do regular self-assessments of both feet – look for any redness or blisters, and make sure your shoes fit properly.
Keep your feet clean and moisturized. Wash them often, then make sure they’re completely dry, then apply moisturizer. Take extra care to make sure the areas between your toes are dry, and don’t apply moisturizer there.
Trim your toenails regularly, and if you have calluses, make sure to care for them.
If you need a professional foot assessment or have questions about footcare in general, we’re here to help! Give Aldershot Foot Care Clinic a call anytime and we’ll be happy to set up an appointment for you to come see one of our highly trained footcare experts. If you have any mobility issues, our clinic offers mobile services to help you receive the care you need. Our office is located in Burlington, providing mobile foot care services within Oakville, Burlington and Hamilton.