Posts for: June, 2015
Diabetic Neuropathy: Pay Attention to Your Feet

What is Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy?
Typically, in diabetic peripheral neuropathy of the feet you will begin to notice sensory changes such as numbness or tingling in your toes. Initially, these symptoms may come and go, but, in time, will be constant. When experiencing these symptoms, they may interfere with your sleep, or cause you to awaken from your sleep. Over a period of time, these disturbances may cause a loss of feeling that may even hinder your ability to detect the tightness of your shoes. Even a pebble in your shoe can go unnoticed as time goes on, which can injure your foot.
Prevent Complications of Diabetes
If you have diabetes, it’s crucial to examine your feet every day and after every injury, regardless of how minor you may think the injury is. If you notice redness, swelling, persistent pain, numbness, tingling or any other unusual signs on any part of your foot, call your podiatrist immediately as this could signify serious health problems.
Selecting the Best Walking Shoes
When it comes to your health and your feet, walking helps both. At our office, we want to make sure you are wearing the right shoes to better protect yourself from injury. To protect your feet from complications, it is important to choose the right shoe for your feet.
As a walker, you should look for a good quality, lightweight walking shoe with breathable upper materials, such as leather or nylon mesh. The heel counter should be very firm, as it should have reduced cushioning to position the heel closer to the ground for walking stability. Additionally, the front area of the shoe should have adequate support and flexibility.
Your podiatrist also urges you to make sure the shoe fits your feet accordingly. The shoe should be snug, but not too tight over the sock. It should also have plenty of room for the toes to move around. What athletic shoes you choose are important as well because you don’t want your shoe to become too tight when wearing socks.
More shoe tips offered by your podiatrist include:
- Check the shoe width to make sure it is comfortable and accommodates the width of the ball of your foot.
- Make sure the shoe provides good arch support.
- See that the top of the heel counter of the shoe is properly cushioned and does not bite into the heel or touch the anklebones.
Proper footwear is essential in protecting your feet from injury and pain, as well as allowing you to properly walk for exercise. Initially, it is important to meet with your podiatrist prior to beginning any exercise or walking routine. With the consultation of your podiatrist in New York, a proper walking regimen can be created to ensure appropriate exercise.