Take Action

and Take Care

of Your Feet
There are currently over 28 million people in the United
States with diabetes. Half of these people will develop
symptoms associated with Neuropathy. Diabetic
Peripheral Neuropathy is often referred to as
Polyneuropathy because it involves injury and damage to
the nerves that affect skin, muscle tone, and sensation in
the lower extremity and feet. Many of these issues go
unnoticed in patients with diabetes until there is a
problem such as an infection. Infections can lead to more
serious complications that often result in amputation of
the foot or lower leg.
Get a Diabetic Foot Exam and KNOW YOUR
RISK!
Did you know that diabetes is the leading cause of nontraumatic lower limb amputation in the U.S.? Patients
with diabetes can develop various complications with
their feet, many of which start as ordinary issues that
should be easily treated. However, these problems can be
adversely affected when neuropathy is present.
Neuropathy may start with simple tingling and numbness
to the toes and/or foot. Often associated with diabetes,
poor circulation can also put the feet at risk. For this
reason the American Diabetes Association, among
others, have strongly recommended that your healthcare
provider perform a Comprehensive Diabetic Foot Exam

(CDFE) at least once a year. Additional visits may be

necessary depending on each individual patient.
Why is an Evaluation so Important?
Many of the amputations and ailments associated with
diabetes and neuropathy of the feet would have been
easily treated before they became a serious problem if a
Comprehensive Diabetic Foot Evaluation had been
performed. Many times these issues are not identified
because patients are not seen in time or they do not have
their annual CDFE. People with diabetes suffer
unnecessarily from amputations of toes, feet, or legs
because they did not receive a CDFE or did not heed the
information identified within their CDFE. As a physician,
your podiatrist is trained to identify these risks and treat
you accordingly to avoid problems before they develop,
or to treat those problems if they are already present. In
most cases, proper care of your feet can prevent issues
such as ulcers, and greatly reduce risk of amputations.
Did you know?
67% of all lower limb amputations in the U.S. result
from Diabetes.
Foot care programs reduce amputations by
45%-85%.
Therapeutic footwear lowers risk for amputations by
18%.
Take Action, If You Have Diabetes
You should have a Diabetic Foot Evaluation at least
annually.
You should Know Your Risk.
Get yearly neuropathy and vascular testing.
Take action and see a podiatrist today!