Pediatric foot care

 When caring for infants and children, taking care of their feet probably doesn’t jump to mind for a top priority. However, there are several ailments that can affect a youngster’s feet and proper steps should be taken to ensure good foot health.
As early as infancy, take proper measures to ensure good foot health for your baby. This can be achieved by ensuring a few simple steps:

Provide exercise - lying uncovered provides kicking and other related motions which prepare the feet for weight bearing.
Change the baby's position several times a day.

Look at your baby's feet often to see if you notice something that looks abnormal.

Cover the baby's feet loosely - tight covers restrict movement. 

Young children’s feet are very resilient. Foot deformities that weren’t present at birth can result from a variety of factors including tight covers or shoes that restrict foot growth and development. It’s imperative that shoes be flexible and fitted properly. 

As they age, be aware of your child’s walking patterns which may signal a concern.  In addition, foot pain or swelling without explanation could be a sign of a serious condition and should not be ignored. 

Good health is all-encompassing for infants and children. By adding a few simple steps, you can keep them healthy from head to toe.

Diabetic foot care

Diabetes is a condition in which excessively high glucose levels in the blood can jeopardize the health of the liver, eyes, kidneys and blood vessels. One of the potential effects of diabetes is a weakened immune system rendering the body unable to effectively fight off infections. Additionally, the disease can lead to serious problems with the feet.

One common way that diabetics encounter foot problems is due to a damaged nervous system. Weakened nervous systems are not able to effectively convey messages from the feet, leading to an inability for the patient to feel normal protective sensations on the feet. This also impairs normal sweat secretion and oil production in the feet, leading to abnormal response pressure on the feet during walking and skin problems that can result in sores.

Due to the suppression of the immune response in diabetics, the body is often unable to heal these wounds. If left untreated bacterial infections can lead to gangrene, which may require amputation to ensure that the infection does not spread to other parts of the body.  Prevention is a  much better way to treat diabetic feet than catastrophic measures!

If you suffer from diabetes, it is crucial that you ensure foot health by working with your doctor to reduce the likelihood of infection and quickly treat any infection that arises. Contact us today to learn how we can help you protect your feet for a lifetime.