At Fordham-Rees Podiatry at the Fairwater Green in Cardiff, Louise our Cardiff Podiatrist has a keen interest in diabetes and how it affects the foot.
If you have diabetes and have concerns about your feet, or just wish to have the health of your feet assessed and some advice on what to look out for and how to best care for your feet, you can book an appointment with Louise What is a diabetic foot assessment? People with diabetes have a higher risk of foot health problems. A diabetic foot assessment is performed by a Podiatrist to check for any foot health problems. Using these findings a treatment plan is compiled on how best to treat and advise you on how you can monitor and best take care of your foot health. It is recommended that people with Diabetes should have a diabetic foot assessment once a year. Sometimes, this is recommended more often if you are having any problems or concerns with your foot health. Why is it important I get a diabetic foot assessment? Diabetes is the most common cause of lower limb amputations in the UK. Someone with diabetes is 20 times more likely to experience an amputation than someone without the condition (Diabetes.org,2018) When ulcers or foot health problems are found and treated early it can aid in preventing serious complications such as infection which can lead in some cases to amputation. What will the diabetic foot assessment appointment involve ? Your diabetic foot assessment will be performed by a Podiatrist at our Podiatry Clinic in Cardiff. The assessment is non-invasive and will not be painful. The podiatrist will ask you some general health questions such as, Your medications and medical history, Any previous foot health problems or things you are concerned with and they will look at your footwear and the shape of your foot looking for any abnormalities. The podiatrist will then undertake a further three more specific assessments.
Dermatological assessment: The skin of the foot is examined to look for any signs of damage such as cracks, lesions blisters or cuts and callus patterns (areas of hard skin) The spaces between your toes will also be checked to check for breaks in the skin or any signs of fungal infections. Your nails will also be examined for signs of thickening, fungal infections or any other abnormalities. Vascular assessment The blood flow to the foot is checked during a vascular assessment. Blood flow through the larger and smaller arteries of the foot are checked using a small device called a doppler. This helps Our Podiatrist to monitor for narrowing of the arteries called peripheral vascular disease. During this examination a small amount of gel is placed to the top of the foot and to the side of the foot near the ankle and the small doppler is drawn across the area to pick up the sound of the blood flow. The podiatrist may also use their thumb to put light pressure to the end of your toe, we are looking for the skin to blanch (turn a pale colour) and then to see how long until it pinks up again after pressure is released, this is called capillary refill. Neurological assessments The nerves of the foot are monitored by a range of tests during the neurological assessment. A small device called a monofilament is used to check the foot's sensitivity to pressure. This can look a little like it would hurt but is just a thin plastic probe (a little plastic wire) and is not sharp. Certain points are touched on each foot using the monofilament and the podiatrist will ask you to indicate when you feel this touch. We will ask you to keep your eyes closed during this test. Sometimes your eyes can trick your brain into thinking you feel something. After the Diabetic foot assessment our Podiatrist will talk you through the findings and advise you best on ways you can self care for your feet at home. We will discuss things such as footwear choices, how to take precautions against skin damage if you have some loss of feeling (neuropathy) the best creams for your skin if you have dry or cracked skin and we will give our recommendation on how often we think you should visit a podiatrist to keep your feet in the best condition. Louise our podiatrist will also be happy to answer any of your questions or concerns relating to your foot health and sometimes if required can help to signpost you to other services if required. If you wish to book In for a diabetic foot assessment or any of our services you can book an appointment to see our Podiatrist at Fordham-Rees Podiatry by either:
Booking online at www.fordhamreespodiatry.com You can call the clinic on 02922474116 WhatsApp us on 07359 382287 Or pop into the clinic we are located:
4 chestnut road Fairwater green Fairwater Cardiff CF5 3HR “We don’t just care for your feet, we care about you”
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