How to treat diabetic foot pain

Written by Chen Kai
Endocrinology
Updated on September 11, 2024
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Diabetic foot is a chronic complication of diabetes, characterized by arteriosclerosis, narrowing, and occlusion of the lower limb vessels, and peripheral neuropathy caused by multiple factors following diabetes. Treatment mainly involves improving circulation and nourishing nerves, including performing lower limb arterial ultrasound to assess the extent of vascular occlusion. When necessary, stenting or vascular recanalization can be performed, and treatments including stem cell therapy are also viable options. For pain, severe pain can generally be managed by vasodilation and symptomatic treatment.

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Symptoms of diabetic foot

The symptoms of diabetic foot can be categorized into those without wounds, commonly referred to as stage 0 diabetic foot. The main symptoms of stage 0 diabetic foot include lower limb paralysis, pain, intermittent claudication, severe lancinating pain, and other sensory abnormalities. This is what constitutes a stage 0 diabetic foot. Stages 1 to 5 of diabetic foot progressively involve wound ulceration, typically presenting as progressive ulceration, pain, and exudation. Therefore, it is recommended for diabetic foot patients to seek timely treatment from an endocrinology specialist, and to use medications under the guidance of a doctor to avoid worsening of diabetic foot infections and to prevent severe consequences.

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Diabetic foot VSD (Vacuum Sealing Drainage) nursing key points

If you have diabetic foot, it is necessary to check the condition of your feet every day. When washing your feet daily, observe the color and shape of the feet, whether there is any skin damage, and whether there are changes in local color. Secondly, more professionally, you can feel the pulsation of the dorsal artery of the foot to see if it is normal. Third, insist on washing your feet daily to maintain cleanliness and hygiene. Be careful that the water temperature for soaking should not be too high, preferably not exceeding 40 degrees Celsius, and do not soak for more than 30 minutes. Additionally, trimming nails is very important. Do not tear them with your hands to avoid damaging the skin of your feet; use scissors to cut long nails. Another important aspect is shoe wearing. It is best to wear loose-fitting shoes to avoid rubbing against the feet and breaking the skin.

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Can diabetic foot be cured?

Diabetes has many complications, and once detected, the complications of diabetes cannot be completely cured. Diabetic foot is a relatively serious complication of diabetes. Diabetic foot generally involves many years of underlying vascular and nerve damage that eventually leads to infection or ulceration, resulting in the final formation of diabetic foot. Whether such a serious complication can be cured actually depends on the duration of the patient’s condition, the extent of the lesion, and most importantly, how soon they seek medical attention. For instance, if the infection is very severe, has damaged the bone, or if there is dry gangrene with local tissue necrosis in the foot, then no matter what conservative treatment is applied, it will not be effective, and surgical amputation will be the only option, meaning the foot cannot be saved. However, if some individuals only have early-stage skin ulceration that cannot heal, or if there is an infection that is not very severe, and they seek medical attention early, controlling the infection and treating with nerve nutrition and vascular protection can actually heal the ulcerated area of the foot.

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What to eat for diabetic foot

The treatment of diabetic foot begins with good blood sugar control. Therefore, dietary control is necessary for diabetic foot. For diabetic patients, it is required to eat three meals a day at regular times and avoid multiple smaller meals or snacks. Foods such as fruits, nuts, and those high in fats should be eaten less frequently. Additionally, liquid foods like soups and porridges should also be reduced. Only when blood sugar is well-controlled can the treatment of diabetic foot be effective.

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Where does diabetic foot hurt?

Diabetic foot refers to those with a history of diabetes who subsequently develop skin ulceration and pus formation on the feet, which can progress to localized gangrene or gangrene of the entire foot. This condition is then termed as diabetic foot. It is usually due to three factors: The first is vascular factors, often accompanied by arterial narrowing in both lower limbs, leading to ischemia and hypoxia. The second is neurological factors, typically accompanied by peripheral neuropathy, causing numbness in both feet and insensitivity to pain, thus often pain is not felt. The third factor involves the presence of an infection. These three factors together make it easy for diabetic foot to develop. Therefore, most patients with diabetic foot do not feel pain. However, if the neuropathy is relatively mild or is a painful neuropathy, these patients may feel pain in their feet or at the site of skin ulceration.