Stride Pedorthic Center has a comprehensive Diabetic Program designed to make it easier for you to be evaluated and get the solutions you need to be comfortable and mobile. We have experienced practitioners who can step you through the process of deciding which solutions will work best for you, including properly fitting footwear and pressure-releiving insoles. We carry diabetic approved shoe styles by New Balance, Anodyne, Orthofeet, and other premium manufacturers.
Diabetes is a group of diseases that result in too much sugar in the blood (high blood glucose). Type 1 diabetes, once known as juvenile diabetes or insulin-dependent diabetes, is a chronic condition in which the pancreas produces little or no insulin. Type 2 diabetes is an impairment in the way the body regulates and uses sugar (glucose) as a fuel. This long-term (chronic) condition results in too much sugar circulating in the bloodstream. Eventually, high blood sugar levels can lead to disorders of the circulatory, nervous and immune systems.
Type 2 diabetes used to be known as adult-onset diabetes, but both type 1 and type 2 diabetes can begin during childhood and adulthood. Type 2 is more common in older adults, but the increase in the number of children with obesity has led to more cases of type 2 diabetes in younger people.
Foot problems are common in people with diabetes. They can happen over time when high blood sugar damages the nerves and blood vessels in the feet. The nerve damage, called diabetic neuropathy, can cause numbness, tingling, pain, or a loss of feeling in your feet.
If you can't feel pain you may not know when you have a cut, blister, or ulcer (open sore) on your foot. If it doesn't heal in a few days it could get infected. An infection may not heal well because the damaged blood vessels can cause poor blood flow in your feet.
Having an infection and poor blood flow can lead to gangrene. That means the muscle, skin, and other tissues start to die. If you have gangrene or a foot ulcer that does not get better with treatment, you may need an amputation. This is a surgery to cut off your damaged toe, foot, or part of your leg. It may prevent a bad infection from spreading and could save your life.
There's a lot you can do to prevent a foot wound from becoming a major health problem.