LOCAL podiatrists have urged residents with diabetes to take foot health seriously, or risk being left without a leg to stand on.
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Australians have the second-worst rate of unnecessary lower-limb amputations in the developed world, according to the Australian Podiatry Association.
Locals with diabetes or other circulatory problems in particular need to be aware of the risks, especially this October during Foot Health Month, Tamworth podiatrist Simon Burnett said.
“When there’s a lower blood supply, that can lead to increased infection, ulceration, gangrene and possible amputation.”
“Australia-wide, there is an amputation every day from gangrene caused by diabetes.”
He said locals who put off a trip to the podiatrist could find themselves in financial strife.
He said a amputation from start to finish would cost $40,000 dollars, whereas a trip to the podiatrist ranged from $40 to $80 a visit.
“That’s a lot of consults with a podiatrist, and you could save a limb.”
He said podiatry practices in Tamworth were seeing an increase in younger patients, from ages four to 10.
“We can detect problems before they develop,” he said.
“If the foundations of a house are not right, the windows won’t close and the door won’t shut,” he said.
Likewise, if feet are not sitting inside shoes properly, posture can deteriorate by rotating the knees and tilting the hips, causing other problems in the body.
He said the feet contain over a quarter of the body’s bones and it was important to exercise them through aqua aerobics and swimming, which unload weight from the hips and knees.
