Diabetics: How to Take Special Care of Your Feet and Legs

Diabetics often have problems with many of their bodily systems; one of those systems affected is the integumentary system, better known as the skin. A nick or a little cat scratch can lead to a full blown laceration that won't heal. It may eventually end up as an ulcer that erodes all the way down to the deeper levels of the skin and into the connective tissue and beyond. Diabetes is more of a syndrome than a disease, because it affects every organ system in your body. The circulatory system is impaired; the nervous system is also impaired. Often times a diabetic may hit the sharp edge of a coffee table and not feel it. There could be a bruise that goes unnoticed; then sometime later he/she may notice an ulcer that won't heal.

Your feet and legs are the farthest from your heart; that means your heart has to really work to get circulation to those areas. There is a domino effect that happens with poor circulation; waste products cannot be carried away fast enough to the kidneys, and oxygen and nutrient rich blood cannot be supplied to meet the body's demand. As a result there is breakdown of tissue, and the legs and feet are the first to be affected.