DFU Manual - Episode 2 - know your feet

Session 2 of the diabetic foot manual follows Juan, a 47-year-old driver with type 2 diabetes who did everything right and still got hurt. The lesson: the wrong shoe for your foot shape creates pressure points that become wounds. Knowing your foot is the first step toward diabetic foot wound prevention. ### Know your foot type Most feet fall into one of three shapes, and each needs a slightly different shoe: - Egyptian — the big toe is longest, so the shoe should taper gently from the big toe. - Roman — the first three toes are about the same length, so a squarer toe-box fits best. - Greek — the second toe is longer than the big toe, so the shoe needs extra room at the second toe to avoid rubbing. To measure at home, trace your bare foot on paper, mark the longest toe and the heel, then add about 1.5 cm. That is your true shoe size. ### Footwear rules for a diabetic foot Do wear a closed shoe with a round toe, no internal seams, 1.5 cm of space past the longest toe, soft breathable material, a low wide heel, and velcro or laces for a secure fit. Don't wear open-toed sandals, flip-flops, straps that cut across the foot, high heels, or shoes that are too tight or too loose. Never walk barefoot — not even at home. Footwear is half the picture. Keep these numbers in range for the other half: fasting glucose 80–130, post-meal glucose under 180, HbA1c at or below 7% every three months, blood pressure under 130/80, LDL under 100, HDL above 40 (men) or 50 (women), and triglycerides under 150. For clinicians tracking diabetic foot ulcers across visits, wound documentation and tracking and AI-powered wound analysis make it easier to catch pressure-related wounds before they escalate.

#diabeticfootcare #type2diabetes #footwearguide