Are you currently living with diabetes? If so, you’ll know that that it’s a disease that requires constant care and can result in complications if not treated correctly. It’s something that frequently causes common complications such as neuropathy, foot issues and lower limb amputation. According to NZALS, one in a thousand Kiwis will experience lower limb amputation, with diabetes a common risk factor for this to occur. When this happens, your life changes forever. Your risk of further amputation increases and you’ll need to make adjustments to your way of living. Healthcare providers are continually looking for ways to prevent this, and the most recent recommendations made to diabetics is to integrate physiotherapy into their treatment to prevent unnecessary amputations. Here’s why regular appointments with your Massey physio could lower your amputation risk.
How Does Diabetes Impact My Lower Limbs?
When you have diabetes, you can develop neuropathy or nerve damage in your legs and feet. Because this leads to numbness, you often won’t realise you have foot damage until it’s too late. It’s common for this to occur even if you’re taking your prescribed medication and living a lifestyle your healthcare provider has outlined. When it comes to this problem, prevention is better than cure. Exercises that work on your range of joint motion, flexion, extension, pronation and supination will increase blood flow to your feet, encouraging new vascular structures to develop and enhancing your sensory input, balance and coordination, making you better able to anticipate trips and falls and prevent injuries. It’s critical that these exercises are monitored by an experienced professional. They’ll be able to correct your form while exercising and will know when to stop should you risk overexerting yourself.
Studies have shown that a person who regularly undertakes this kind of exercise can experience faster healing from foot ulcers, as well as better joint movement and ease when walking.
Visit Your Physio Today
It might seem minor, but physiotherapy on your feet and lower limbs can have a tremendous impact on your health as a person with diabetes – even if you don’t currently have problems in this area. Speak to your healthcare provider about whether this course of preventative treatment would be good for you and then book an appointment with a Massey physio from Physio Connect today.
