Since chronic foot wounds are particularly common, especially among patients with diabetes, what steps can be taken to prevent them?
• Don’t go barefoot, either indoors or outside. • Use moisturizer for excessively dry feet after bathing. • Avoid exposing your feet to extreme temperatures, such as hot sand or pavement. Wear sunscreen on your feet. Don’t use hot water bottles or heating pads when your feet are cold; instead, wear loose-fitting socks. • Trim nails straight across without rounding the corners. • Don’t cut or remove corns or calluses yourself or use commercial products without first consulting your physician. • Wear comfortable shoes that fit well. Don’t wear open-toed shoes, heels, or sandals. • When you need to purchase new shoes, try them on later in the day, when your feet are enlarged slightly to ensure they’ll fit comfortably. Don’t wear new shoes more than two hours at a time until you break them in. • Don’t wear shoes without socks or stockings, and avoid socks and stockings with seams and 100 percent synthetics. Instead, wear cotton and cotton blends, and change socks daily. • If a non-healing
