This past Sunday, the city of Columbus began working with the Diabetes Prevention and Control Alliance’s program to say “NOT ME” to diabetes. As diabetes has become an epidemic in, programs such as “Not Me” are an important way to increase awareness about diabetes prevention and control. The program involves a lifestyle coaching program to counsel those who are at risk for diabetes on making healthier choices involving diet and exercise.

While this program provides useful information on how to take small steps towards a healthier life, it does not directly address how to prevent one of the scariest complications of diabetes: amputation. Diabetic individuals need to regularly see a podiatrist in order to receive proper foot care, keep a close watch on any changes in foot health that may indicate underlying pathological conditions, and to learn how to properly care for their feet on a day-to-day basis. Diabetic patients should select podiatrists who are known for their excellence in diabetic wound care, such as those at the Columbus Podiatry and Surgery wound clinics located in both Dublin, OH and Columbus, OH.

All diabetic patients should be educated on how to properly perform a self foot exam as one of the most important preventative measures to take to preventing major problems with the foot and ankle. Overall skin health, adequate blood supply, and appropriately functioning nerves allowing for touch and pain sensation in the foot are three of the most important areas of the self exam. While it may seem like a good thing to not feel pain in your feet, it is actually a very dangerous consequence of nerve problems from diabetes. Without the ability to feel pain, you would not be able to tell when tissue is being injured or destroyed in the foot. Catching a small lesion before it develops into a non-healing diabetic ulcer is when self-exams and regular check-ups at the podiatrist can be a real limb-saver. When lack of sensation is detected in areas of the foot, accommodative orthotics can be helpful in areas that can easily become irritated. An accommodative orthotic for a diabetic patient is used to take pressure off and protect an area of irritation that could, unbeknownst to the diabetic unable to sense pain, develop into a dangerous wound.

A custom-made accommodative orthotic is just one aspect of diabetic wound care and healthy preventative measures that a skilled podiatrist may need to utilize to avoid amputation for their patient. Hopefully, with programs such as “Not Me!” and the work of all of the best podiatrists in the Columbus & Dublin, OH the diabetes epidemic will be slowed as people become more aware of healthy choices for their bodies and their feet to avoid serious complications or even the initial diagnosis of diabetes!

Please visit www.ColumbusFoot.com for more information or call 614-885 FEET (3338) to schedule an appointment with a podiatrist in Columbus, Ohio. Columbus Podiatry & Surgery is located on the North side of Columbus, Ohio near Worthington.