- Reduce Risk of Amputation
- Maintain Healthy Skin Integrity
- Restore Confidence
21,700+ Treatments
Experience our Colac Clinic
Diabetic Foot Care Made Easy
1. In Depth
Assessment
2. Identify
Risks
After thoroughly evaluating your blood supply, nerve supply, and skin integrity. Our skilled team will determine the risk of developing an ulcer.
3. Manage
Risks
Our skilled team will put together a detailed plan to manage the risks that are posed to your feet from diabetes.
Who is Diabetic Foot care for?
Have you been diagnosed with diabetes?
We know what it’s like to be unsure of the health of your feet. There are many scary stories of people having their legs amputated as a result of diabetes. Imagine being free from the worry of your foot health. Having confidence in your feet will allow you to focus on managing and reducing the impact of diabetes on your overall health.
At Prosper Podiatry, we specialise in the assessment of the risks associated with diabetes. We also strive to teach you about your feet so that you are confident every day.
If you are worried about the role that diabetes may be playing in the health of your feet, book an appointment or call us. We are confident we can help you.
How We Help
Confidence
Rest assured knowing the risk status of your feet and how to protect/care for your feet
Educated
Become your own foot expert. We will teach you what to look for and why!
Quality of life
Live a life without fear of ulceration or amputation
How does diabetes affect your feet?
People with diabetes are particularly prone to foot problems. There are more than 4,400 amputations every year in Australia as a result of diabetes. Around 85% of diabetes related amputations are preventable if wounds are detected early and managed appropriately.
Nerves
High and poorly controlled blood sugar levels can damage your nerves. We will notice this damage in your feet first with symptoms of numbness or tingling on your feet, making it difficult to feel pain or injuries. A small cut or blister may go unnoticed and eventually can cause more serious problems like a wound or ulcer.
Bones
Nerve damage in the feet can also cause weakening of the joints, ligaments and tendons, which can lead to fractures and foot deformities. This is a serious and irreversible condition called a Charcot foot.
Blood
Diabetes can also affect the blood vessels in your feet, reducing blood flow and making it harder for you to heal. This delay in healing could result in an ulcer that does not heal.
Amputation
When combined with other factors such as poor footwear, foot trauma and lack of foot care, diabetes can further increase the risk of foot problems like amputation.
How we help people with Diabetes in Colac
Prosper podiatrists play an important role in assessment and management of foot health for individuals with diabetes. Our team of experienced podiatrists specialise in providing diabetic foot risk assessments. We will continually monitor and evaluate your foot health, including checking for any signs of neuropathy, poor circulation, or foot ulcers.
If we find a foot wound/ulcer, we can provide specialised wound care to promote optimal healing and prevent infection.
Our goal is to prevent you from getting a wound or ulcer in the first place! Most foot problems can be prevented with good, regular foot care, and an understanding of how to protect your feet.
What is a Diabetic Foot Risk Assessment?
Our podiatrist will ask questions about your diabetes diagnosis and how it may be a risk to your foot health. The assessment will begin with a full skin assessment where we will check for any signs of cuts, sores, blisters and other injuries that can lead to serious long term problems. We will also seek to identify any fungal skin or nail infections that are common with people who have diabetes.
We will then check blood flow to the feet by feeling for a pulse on top of the foot and another inside the ankle. Similar to the blood pressure measured in your arm, a toe pressure will be measured which will assess the blood flow reaching to the tip of the toes. This test is important to establish the individual’s ability to heal injuries or ulcers. This toe pressure test gives us a number that we can refer to in future assessments to identify any vascular changes BEFORE they become an issue.
Nerve sensitivity will also be assessed. We will determine your level of protective sensation and your risk of falls (proprioception).
A detailed report will be sent to your GP and if there is any concern regarding the reduced blood flow and nerve damage, a recommendation for further investigation will be requested.
The assessment doesn’t stop there!
We also provide a personalised care plan based on your specific needs, which may include recommendations for proper footwear, exercise and foot care to manage and prevent foot complications. We believe that education is key to maintaining healthy feet, and we are committed to providing you with the resources you need to keep your feet healthy and strong.
FAQs
Nothing, it is bulk billed! We want to ensure everyone who has diabetes has access to great diabetic foot care.
After completing our industry leading assessment we will be able to provide you with a measurable reference for your blood supply and also the level of risk of ulceration/amputation.
Yes. Not only will we liaise with your doctor but we will also identify any key practitioners that would also contribute to your successful management of diabetes.
