Routine Preventive Diabetic Foot Care

What You Need To Know

Understanding your personal risk is the first step to protecting your feet.

Preventive Care for Diabetic Feet

If you are newly diagnosed with diabetes and need to determine your risk for getting into trouble with your feet, if you suffer from numbness and need your feet checked and cared for on a regular basis, or if you are dealing with an ulcer that has been hard to heal, please contact our specialists at WFAI. We are proud to offer the most comprehensive and specialized diabetic foot care available today.

We specialize in comprehensive foot assessments to determine your individualized risk level. Dr. Fleischer said it is important to recognize that not all patients with diabetes are at the same risk for getting into trouble with their feet. Some patients we will want to see every three to four months for what is frequently called preventative diabetic foot care, while others can go a year before having another foot evaluation. It is important to know where you stand.

Common concerns that bring diabetic patients in for regular care include numbness in the feet, calluses that build up over pressure points, and slow-healing wounds or ulcers. Because reduced sensation can mask small problems until they become serious, having a trained provider examine your feet on a set schedule is one of the most reliable ways to catch issues early.

For patients who are at heightened risk, having a foot callus trimmed down on a regular basis, every two to three months, is an essential component to staying out of trouble and ulcer-free. If any of this sounds familiar, reach out to WFAI to schedule an assessment and find out what preventive schedule is right for you.

Your One-Stop Diabetic Foot Shop

It is also important that higher risk patients get into protective and specialty footwear. What is really nice about WFAI is that we are able to get our patients into the shoes they need and fit patients for foot orthoses and custom braces right here in the comfort of the office, usually in just two quick office visits, said Dr. Fleischer.

There are no third and fourth trips needed to other specialists such as pedorthists or orthotists for this type of service. We even have a certified pedorthist on site, Dr. Frank Bongiovanni, who is able to troubleshoot and provide support for our most challenging patients and feet.

Our retail store, located on site in the Des Plaines office, The Foot Depot, is fully stocked with products that are sensitive to the special needs of our diabetic patients. From diabetic socks to protective footwear and accessories, patients can find what they need without having to shop elsewhere.

In many ways, WFAI is a model center for diabetic foot care excellence, capable of caring for all your diabetic foot needs. In many ways you could say that WFAI is your one-stop diabetic foot shop, with assessments, preventive care, footwear, orthoses, and ulcer management all coordinated under one roof so you can focus on staying healthy.