Diabetes Awareness Month and Footcare

As Diabetes Awareness Month draws to a close for another year, I think that it's really important to remember that diabetes is a condition that extends beyond this special month and that it is something that we live with full-time, without breaks 24/7. Which also means that the care we need to take to look after our diabetes must also be regular, such as the way that we care for our feet.

Organisations such as Diabetes UK, have free information available to help you look after your feet. Below is a shorter version of their list of top tips, which are the things that I do on a regular basis to try and keep my feet in good condition, so as not to cause long term problems and to enable me to train unhindered.

• Have a quality foot check by an appropriately trained person at least once a year.
• Don’t be self-conscious about your feet.
• Check your feet every day - look for any signs of redness, pain, build-up of hard skin or                       changes in the shape of your feet.
• Be aware of any loss of feeling in your feet because you may not feel if you hurt your feet.
• Look after your toenails.
• Use moisturising cream every day and wear well-fitting shoes that protect and support your                 feet.
• Always examine the inside of your shoes for sharp objects or stones before putting them on                 and replace ruffled innersole linings. Avoid socks, stockings or tights with wrinkles or                         prominent seams.
• Socks with elastic tops should also be avoided because they may restrict the circulation.                       Never wear socks with darned areas or holes.

(Adapted from Diabetes UK 2016)

I have found that the Winter is a particularly important time where foot care is concerned, because when training on the outdoor track my feet often get wet from the poor weather conditions. They are put under pressure during plyometric exercises such as bounding, and circuit training is high impact and high pressure on my feet. As you'll have seen on my social media, I have been wearing my Toe Tec socks throughout the Autumn/ Winter season, that are actually designed for people with diabetes such as myself. 

My Toe Tec socks have minimal sew and seam construction, which makes avoiding prominent seams much easier. I find that they don't bunch in my shoes like some socks can, causing blisters. So when I check my feet at night, I don't find any nasty surprises such as cuts or bruising. I have found my Toe Tec socks to be very durable, so holes and darning are not a concern. The ankles have been designed in such a way that the fit is what supports your foot and helps the sock stay up. As opposed to having an incredibly tight band at the top of the sock. So now I feel that my feet are being taken care of, its the tough training sessions that I've got to worry about!

This is a post kindly sponsored by the lovely team at Reed Medical