Routine Preventive Diabetic Foot Care

What You Need To Know

How preventive diabetic foot care works and why individualized risk assessment matters.

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. We are proud to offer comprehensive and specialized diabetic foot care.

It is important to recognize that not all patients with diabetes are at the same risk for getting into trouble with their feet. We specialize in offering comprehensive foot assessments to determine your individualized risk level. 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.

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. It is also important that higher risk patients get into protective and specialty footwear to reduce pressure on vulnerable areas of the foot.

Common signs that warrant an evaluation include numbness in the feet, changes in skin or nail appearance, thickened calluses, and sores or ulcers that are slow to heal. If you notice any of these changes, or if you have never had a diabetic foot risk assessment, we encourage you to schedule a visit so we can build a care plan that fits your needs.

One-Stop Diabetic Foot Care

Convenience is a central part of how we care for patients with diabetes. We are able to get our patients into the shoes they need and fit them for foot orthoses and custom braces right in the comfort of the office, usually in just two quick office visits. There are no third and fourth trips needed to outside specialists such as pedorthists or orthotists for this type of service.

We have a certified pedorthist on site, Dr. Frank Bongiovanni, who is able to troubleshoot and provide support for our most challenging patients and feet. Having this expertise under one roof allows us to fine-tune footwear and bracing for patients whose feet require extra attention.

Our retail store, The Foot Depot, is located on site in the Des Plaines office and is fully stocked with products that are sensitive to the special needs of our diabetic patients. From protective socks to skin care supplies, patients can find items that support their day-to-day foot health without needing to shop elsewhere.

Taken together, these services make us a model center for diabetic foot care excellence, capable of caring for all your diabetic foot needs. Whether you are visiting every few months for callus care or coming in for an annual risk assessment, our goal is to keep you comfortable, mobile, and ulcer free for the long term.