Avoid Amputation

To decrease your risk for amputation, you should manage your diabetes and take care of your feet.

The following tips may help prevent amputation:

• Examine your feet and legs. Report any wounds or injuries to your provider right away.
• Check your feet for signs of infection, such as warmth, redness, swelling, drainage, odor, or pain.
• Get tested for nerve damage.
• Avoid injury to your lower legs.
• Wear comfortable-fitting shoes.
• Eat a healthy diet of lean meats, fruits and vegetables, fiber, and whole grains.
• Avoid sugar-sweetened juice and soda.
• Exercise for at least 30 minutes daily.
• Maintain a healthy weight and blood pressure.
• Check your blood sugar levels.
• Decrease or stop smoking.

It is important to take care of your diabetes to prevent wounds and possible amputation. If you have a wound that has not begun to heal, seek specialized care immediately.

KNOW THE FACTS

1. More than 80 percent of amputations begin with foot ulcers.
2. Living with diabetes puts a person at higher risk for amputation.
3. Almost two million people in the United States are living with limb loss.
4. Each year around 80,000 people with diabetes will suffer from lower limb amputation.
5. The risk for amputation is higher in African American, Hispanic, and Native American people living with diabetes.
6. After an amputation, many people die within five years.