When To Visit a Podiatrist for Diabetic Feet

Dr. Jason Wilks and the team at Wilks Advanced Foot Care in Roseburg, OR provide personalized diabetic foot care to ensure optimal foot health.

How Often Should People With Diabetes Visit Their Podiatrist?

Diabetes can cause many problems throughout the body – all the way down to the feet. The condition both impedes blood flow and impacts the nervous system, making the feet numb to sores and pain. Proper diabetic foot care requires that you take a good look at your feet every day to note any changes or issues, but you also need to visit your podiatrist regularly. How often is "regularly" when it comes to diabetes and podiatry visits? Dr. Jason Wilks at Wilks Advanced Foot Care in Roseburg, OR answers this question below.

Regular Assessments

During regular visits, your podiatrist will check how well blood is flowing to your feet, the sensitivity of the nerves in your feet, and assess your feet for any damage or areas of concern. They’ll also trim your nails, if necessary.

How often you’ll need to have such a visit depends on several factors, the first of which is the type of diabetes you have. Most people with Type 2 diabetes only need an annual check-up.

Type 1 diabetes tends to involve some extra risk, though. As such, if you have Type 1 diabetes, you should see your podiatrist every six months. 

Both of the above recommendations are made based on there being no complications or issues that need additional monitoring. When such issues are present, your podiatrist might recommend that you visit every two to three months to ensure you receive proper treatment.

Additional Visits

You might need to make appointments in between your regular visits if any issues come up. These include but are not limited to:

• Losing the ability to feel hot or cold
• Change in the temperature of your feet
• Losing hair anywhere from the lower legs down
• Any type of sore, blister, or ingrown toenail
• An infection between your toes or yellowed and thickened toenails
• Pain, burning, or tingling in the feet
• Change in color of your feet
• Cracked or dry skin

These signs could indicate or lead to trouble and should be assessed and addressed as soon as possible.

Contact Us Today

If you live with diabetes, schedule a diabetic foot care appointment with Dr. Wilks at Wilks Advanced Foot Care in Roseburg, OR by calling (541) 673-0742 today.