BCHS Wound Healing Center offers tips for foot care

April is National Foot Health Awareness Month and the perfect time for the nearly 24 million Americans living with diabetes to stand up for their feet.
"Foot inspections and proper foot care should be as much a part of a diabetic's daily routine as checking blood sugar levels," says Dr. Forrest Robart, a general surgeon who serves as medical director at the Battle Creek Health System Wound Healing Center and Hyperbaric Medicine. "Each year 1 in 20 people with diabetes will develop a foot ulcer and the rate of amputation for people with diabetes is 10 times higher than in the general population. In fact, 60 percent of lower limb amputations that are not caused by trauma such as accidents and car crashes are diabetes related."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has found that comprehensive foot care programs can reduce amputation rates by 45 to 85 percent.

Dr. Robart recommends these foot care tips:
* A daily visual inspection is needed since diabetes can cause changes in the skin on the feet as well as nerve damage, which can impair sensation of feeling. Use an unbreakable mirror to see the bottom of your feet or ask someone to help you.
* Check your feet and between your toes for blisters, cuts, and scratches.
* Have your feet examined during doctor visits and tell your physician about any redness, blisters, or wounds on your legs or feet.
* Do not pull loose pieces of skin off your feet. See a health care professional to have them removed.
* Avoid crossing your legs: this can cause pressure on the nerves and blood vessels, possibly causing damage.
* Never go barefoot and always wear properly fitting socks made of cotton and wool. Change your socks daily and your shoes twice a day.
* Cut toenails straight across and do not trim them too short. Use an emery board to smooth corners of toenails or ingrown nails.
* Seek medical treatment if a leg or foot wound has not healed in 30 days or shows signs of infection such as increased pain, redness or swelling, foul wound odor or a change in color or amount of drainage from the wound.

The BCHS Wound Healing Center specializes in the treatment of chronic wounds and non-responsive conditions and offers hospital-based outpatient wound care. For more information, call the center at (269) 966-8560.

Battle Creek Health System, sponsored by two parent organizations--Trinity Health (the fourth largest Catholic health system in the U.S. with 21 hospitals, 9 nursing homes, 19 senior house facilities, 8 home health care agencies, and 4 hospices in Michigan alone) and BCHS Community Partners, is accredited by the Joint Commission. Battle Creek Health System is a recipient of the 2008 HealthGrades Orthopaedic Surgery Excellence Award(tm) and 2009 Five Star rated for joint replacement surgery and total knee replacement. HealthGrades is a leading health care information company that provides objective 'report card' ratings nationwide. BCHS provides excellent health care for the community and promotes wellness for the whole person with access and compassion for all. For the latest medical information, visit the BCHS web site at www.bchealth.com or call the BCHS Marketing Department at (269) 966-8132.