What Are The Symptoms Of Diabetes
There are a variety of symptoms associated with diabetes and the most common symptoms of diabetes include:
- Increased thirst
- Slow healing cuts or sores
- Unexplained weight loss even if you are eating more
- Increased infections
- Numbness or tingling in your hands and feet
If left untreated, diabetes can lead to serious complications such as heart disease, stroke, kidney damage, nerve damage, and blindness so if you have these symptoms please talk to your doctor for a diagnosis.
Diabetic Nerve Pain In Ankle Feet And Legs
Diabetic neuropathy is a condition that results from damage to the nerves due to high blood sugar levels and nerve damage can cause a wide range of symptoms including pain, numbness, tingling, burning sensations, and weakness. In some cases, diabetic neuropathy can lead to serious complications such as diabetic foot ulcers.
When To See A Healthcare Provider
If your feet and ankles start to swell and you have diabetes, take note if it tends to go away overnight when your legs are raised. If it doesn’t, call a healthcare provider if the swelling lasts more than a day or two. It can be a sign that your blood sugar is too high and you may need a change in treatment.
If you see swelling in one leg, you need immediate medical attention, because you may have a blood clot that can be life-threatening. Call 911 or go to the emergency room.
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What Types Of Diabetes
Dr. Onosode: In my practice, the types of diabetic foot and ankle problems seen are multifactorial. The most common complication is peripheral neuropathy, which Ill discuss next. However, we also see patients with diabetes who have foot and/or ankle deformities.
Now you may wonder why a diabetic-related foot/ankle problem may progress to such a serious state. It is often because patients with long-standing diabetes, who have peripheral neuropathy, may not have adequate feeling in one or both feet or ankles, to know early that something is wrong.
Swollen Feet And Magnesium Deficiency
Water retention in the lower limbs and swelling can signify a magnesium deficiency. In that case, treatments, including magnesium-rich foods or magnesium supplements, usually work great. Men are recommended to have 400-420 milligrams of magnesium a day. For women, the recommendations are 310-320 milligrams a day. Theres a significant amount of magnesium in foods like nuts, legumes, spinach, beans, tuna, dark chocolate, and bananas. Choose mineral water that has a higher level of magnesium. If thats not enough, ask for your doctors advice about magnesium supplements.
Note: If you live with diabetes, always ask for your doctors advice before changing your diet or taking any food supplements.
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Essential Oils For Swelling
Although not FDA-regulated, the therapeutic effects of essential oils have long been documented. Some essential oils are believed to help reduce chronic swelling considerably. Spruce, Neroli, Plai, Lemon, Hemp, Peppermint, Eucalyptus, and Chamomille are often combined in anti-swell aromatherapy blends. Essential oils can also be used to manage diabetic neuropathy and foot pain.
How To Help Swollen Ankles And Feet
Potential solutions to your swollen feet or ankles could already be in your kitchen cabinet or scattered around your living room. And, if not, a quick trip to the store might be all it takes to find some relief.
Here are a half-dozen easy-to-try home remedies worth some consideration.
Compression socks
A hug sometimes seems like it can make everything better and that sentiment applies to swollen feet and ankles, too.
Compression socks offer a gentle squeeze to your legs that promotes better blood circulation. This helps prevent fluid from collecting in your ankles and feet, which works to minimize swelling and pain.
Finding compression socks wont be difficult. Theyre widely available at various stores, ranging from pharmacies to shoe retailers and online. They also come in a variety of weights, from light, medium and heavier weight.
Dr. Botek suggests starting with lightweight socks. Be sure you select a pair that isnt too tight for your body. Put them on in the morning and wear them as long as you remain comfortable.
Elevation
Gravity never stops working. If you have swollen feet or ankles, let gravity work for you.
Elevating your legs above the level of your heart helps drain built-up fluid from your lower extremities, says Dr. Botek. Basically, you give your circulatory system a little assistance by letting gravity do its thing.
Epsom salt
Magnesium-rich foods
Foods that are high in magnesium include:
Magnesium supplements
Hydrate
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Get A Foot Check At Every Health Care Visit
Ask your health care team to check your feet at each visit. Take off your shoes and socks when youre in the exam room so they will remember to check your feet. At least once a year, get a thorough foot exam, including a check of the feeling and pulses in your feet.
Get a thorough foot exam at each health care visit if you have
- changes in the shape of your feet
- loss of feeling in your feet
- had foot ulcers or an amputation in the past1
Ask your health care team to show you how to care for your feet.
Avoid A Sedentary Lifestyle
Movement is one of the most efficient ways to prevent your feet from swelling. Avoid a sedentary lifestyle. Dont stay in the same position all day. Dont sit on the couch or at the desk for hours without moving.
Whatever youre doing, remember to stretch your legs and keep your feet moving as often as possible. Physical exercise 30 minutes a day is a great way to reduce swelling, improve blood flow, stay fit, and lower your blood glucose levels.
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Go For Regular Exercise
If you have diabetes, you need to exercise regularly. A sedentary lifestyle can increase the swelling in your foot. Get up and move around. Go for a walk around the block or in the part. In fact, go for a 60 minute walk every day without fail. This will boost circulation and reduce swelling. Swimming and cycling are also good options and you can take these up on a regular basis.
Can Sugar Cause Swelling In Diabetic Feet
The amount of sugar and carbohydrates in your diet can directly impact blood glucose levels. If is because of the neuropathy, or any kind of nerve impingement, then the treatment is to control the diabetes, Apovian said. Eating a healthy diet is an essential part of controlling diabetes.
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Is It Possible To Overcome Gestational Diabetes When Pregnant
Unlike other kinds of diabetes, gestational diabetes often resolves spontaneously and blood sugar levels return to normal shortly after birth, according to Dr. Tania Esakoff, clinical director of the Prenatal Diagnosis Center. Gestational diabetes does not have to detract from the pleasures of pregnancy.
How Is Diabetes Related To Ankle Swelling
Diabetes is a chronic disease caused by the bodys inability to regulate and utilize circulating blood sugar. This can either be from an inability to produce enough insulin or from poor blood sugar regulation due to your bodys resistance to the available insulin .
In both cases, diabetes results in abnormally high levels of glucose in the blood, which damages the lining of small blood vessels. Damage to vessels such as capillaries and veins results in poor circulation. It leads to edema and, on rare occasions, can also cause leakage into the surrounding tissue.
Ankle swelling, therefore, is a result of the damage that high blood sugar does to your circulatory system. This will eventually lead to cardiovascular and kidney issues, which also cause edema and swollen feet and ankles.
This problem is not exclusive to diabetics alone. Even healthy individuals can experience swollen ankles and feet after long periods of inactivity, wearing tight clothing, hormonal changes, excessive salt intake, or being overweight.
When you suffer from diabetes, however, the effect of these factors could be exacerbated.
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Use Compression Socks For Swollen Feet
Compression socks and stockings are made to boost blood circulation from the lower limbs back to the heart. They can significantly help reduce foot, ankle, and leg swelling. However, if you have diabetes, and especially if you have been diagnosed with peripheral artery disease, you should ask for your doctors advice before wearing compression socks. In some cases, they could do more harm than good. Read more: should diabetics wear compression socks?
How Do You Stop Diabetic Feet From Swelling
According to the American Diabetes Association , in order to slow down or prevent neuropathy, optimizing is one of the main goals. The ADA also recommends a yearly comprehensive foot exam to check for changes. Additional steps can be taken to help prevent swelling and other foot complications, including:
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Diabetes And Swollen Legs
Swelling doesnt just impact feet it can occur in the legs as well. Possible causes for edema in the legs are the same as the feet and ankles. However, there are some additional reasons for leg edema:
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Obesity: One of the risk factors for developing is . Moreover, having a high body mass index may also increase risk of edema in the legs.
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Blood clot: If the swelling occurs in just one leg, it may be related to a blood clot. A blood clot in the leg, or deep vein thrombosis , could lead to swelling in the lower extremities.
The Comprehensive Diabetic Foot Care
If you are living with diabetes, you may already know youre at risk of foot problems. These conditions develop over time after continuous levels of high blood sugar.
Have you ever thought about the relationship between DIABETES AND FEET? Diabetes is a medical condition that alters insulin production or efficacy the hormone responsible for energy conversion from the sugar-rich blood.
When the insulin hormone isnt functioning, the sugar remains in the blood. This can result in the development of various conditions in the body, including the feet.
Unfortunately, most people act on a DIABETIC FOOT when its too late. As a result, DIABETIC SWOLLEN FEET are the leading cause of amputation. You dont have to wait until its too late our professionals at Frederick Foot and Ankle can help you.
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What Does It Mean If Your Feet And Ankles Are Swollen
The abnormal buildup of fluid in the body is called edema. Edema is commonly seen in the feet and ankles, because of the effect of gravity, swelling is particularly noticeable in these locations. Common causes of edema are prolonged standing, prolonged sitting, pregnancy, being overweight, and increase in age.
Give Yourself An Epsom Soak
Epsom salt has been shown to help relieve swelling-associated pain and reduce inflammation in the body. For best results, put a sufficient amount of Epsom salt in a foot bath of cool water. If you have diabetic neuropathy in your feet, make sure that you double check the water temperature to avoid exposure to extreme temperature. Proceed to soak your feet and ankles for about 15 to 20 minutes.
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What Are Some Of The Common Types Of Foot Problems You See In Patients With Diabetes
Dr. Onosode: I tend to see underlying structural bony and soft tissue problems. These include digital contractures commonly known as hammertoe deformities. Another is hallus abducto valgus deformitiescommonly called bunions. A bunion affects shoe fit and comfort when walking, and causes soft tissue problems. Frankly, anything that causes bony or soft tissue enlargement of the front part of the foot can be problematic in the diabetic population.
Does High Blood Pressure Cause Leg Swelling
High blood pressure can impair the function of the kidneys, leading to fluid retention and swelling of the legs, and even kidney failure. High blood pressure can affect the eyes, causing vision loss. High blood pressure can seriously affect the circulation causing pain in the legs with walking, cold feet, and stroke.
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Are Ultrasounds Performed More Often If You Have Gestational Diabetes
Having gestational diabetes means scheduling more regular non-stress testing sessions, and we encourage doing fetal kick counts at home to ensure your baby is moving properly, Elizabeth said. Detailed ultrasounds will also be required to monitor baby development and check for birth abnormalities.
Link Between Diabetes And Oedema
Diabetes is a chronic condition that occurs when your pancreas doesnt produce enough insulin or your body becomes resistant to it. This leads to an excessive accumulation of sugar in the blood. This further leads to damage to the lining of small blood vessels, if left untreated. This is what causes poor blood circulation and accumulation of fluid in the tissues present in legs, feet, ankles.
Also, in diabetics, an injury or damage takes time to heal. This means a long-lasting injury can also lead to the condition. Gradually, a high level of blood sugar can damage the nerves present in lower parts of your body. This may cause numbness that makes it difficult to detect an injury.
Here we tell you some easy and practical ways to deal with diabetic edema.
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How Does Diabetes Cause Swelling
Edema, also called peripheral edema, is a specific type of swelling that happens when your body holds onto too much fluid and the extra fluid accumulates in your tissues which can cause ankle swelling, swollen feet, and swollen legs.
The swollen extremities happen due to damaged blood vessels that leak fluid into the surrounding tissue. Diabetes causes edema due to poor circulation and blood flow which allows fluids to build in your extremities.
Other common causes of edema include congestive heart failure, kidney disease, cirrhosis of the liver, injury or surgery, certain medications, blood clots, and an unhealthy lifestyle.
The most common symptoms of edema include:
- Skin that feels stretched or taut which can produce shiny skin due to the stretching
- Puffiness or swelling
- Skin that forms an indent or dimple when pressure is applied to it although this isnt always the case
If you have any of these symptoms please seek medical care. If left untreated, edema can cause serious complications such as an increase in the risk of infection, increased risk of diabetic foot ulcers, pain, and stiffness.
What Causes Edema Among People With Diabetes
Diabetes itself is not the root cause of inflammation in the feet and legs. The problem occurs when diabetes is not managed properly, and blood sugar becomes elevated for prolonged periods. When sugar is allowed to accumulate in the blood, it can damage the lining of smaller blood vessels in certain parts of the body, including the lower extremities. These damaged vessels make it impossible for the body to circulate blood properly. This poor circulation can cause fluid to get trapped in the legs, ankles, and feet, resulting in uncomfortable inflammation known as edema.
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What Causes Feet And Ankles To Swell
Swelling happens when your body retains fluid in your lower legs, ankles and feet. It most often occurs on both sides of your body. The result is uncomfortable and can keep you from moving freely.
Possible causes of swollen feet and ankles include:
- Lifestyle factors, such as inactivity or being overweight.
- Medical conditions that affect the movement of fluid in your body. The list would include diseases targeting your heart, kidneys, liver and veins.
- Shoes that dont fit right.
When it comes to swelling, its about management and getting through the day, Dr. Botek says. Theres nothing thats necessarily curative, but you can take steps to ease pain and discomfort.
When Should I Worry About My Feet Swelling
When should you call the doctor? Report your symptoms to your doctor if theres so much swelling that it leaves an indentation if you press your finger into it, or if it has developed suddenly, lasts for more than a few days, affects just one foot, or is accompanied by pain or discoloration of the skin.
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Fructosamine To A1c: How Are They Related
Diabetes, also called diabetes mellitus, is a condition that affects millions of people all over the world. It can be difficult to manage, but with the right tools and information, it is possible to live a healthy life with diabetes. One of the most important tools for managing diabetes is understanding fructosamine levels and hemoglobin A1C levels. In this article, we will explain what fructosamine and hemoglobin A1C are, and discuss the relationship between these two measures. We will also provide tips on how to test your fructosamine and hemoglobin A1C levels correctly.
When To See A Podiatrist
See your podiatrist if:
- You have pain or pressure in your foot. The pressure varies from mild to severe and may be constant or intermittent
- You feel discomfort when moving around or reduced mobility
- You have numbness or tingling in the area of your sore
- The skin around your feet is shiny and stretchy
- You feel tenderness when pressing on a specific spot along the sole. It could mean you have an ulcer
- You have severe cough and breathing problems. Foot swelling may cause an accumulation of fluid in your lungs, leading to breath shortness and coughing
- You see red streaks radiating outward from sores on top of toes or sides of feet.
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What Are Swollen Feet
The medical term for swelling from excess fluid in your body is edema. When your feet swell, it’s called peripheral edema, and it can make them feel heavy and achy.
Your skin may look shiny, and if you press it, the indentation may remain, which is called pitting. If you have a small cut or sore on your swollen feet, some of the excess fluid may ooze from it.