The winter holiday season is often associated with celebration, family gatherings, and special traditions—but it can also bring added pressure and stress. Between preparing large meals, attending events, managing travel plans, and also keeping up with daily responsibilities, it’s easy for schedules and routines to become overwhelming. Colder weather and seasonal challenges only add another layer of complexity.

For individuals living with diabetes, these demands can be especially challenging. Disruptions to normal eating habits, activity levels, and self-care routines can make it harder to stay on track. Maintaining consistent attention to your health—especially your feet—during the holiday season is essential to reducing the risk of diabetes-related complications and avoiding preventable medical emergencies. Here's what our diabetic foot care specialists at Sunshein Podiatry recommend. 

Why Does Diabetes Potentially Cause Foot Health Complications?

Along with serious problems such as kidney failure, blindness, heart attacks, and strokes, diabetes can affect your feet—and this is more concerning than you might imagine. Excess glucose in the blood can cause problems for most of the body’s organs and nerves, thereby reducing their normal capabilities or rendering them ineffective. This compromises your foot health in many ways.

Peripheral Neuropathy

  • Nerve damage caused by diabetes.
  • Reduces or eliminates the ability to feel pain, pressure, or injury.
  • Makes it difficult to notice fractures, blisters, or ingrown toenails.
  • Allows injuries to worsen without awareness.

Diabetic Foot Ulcers

  • Open wounds that develop due to pressure, friction, or minor injuries.
  • Often go unnoticed because of neuropathy.
  • Heal slowly due to a compromised immune system.
  • Create a high risk for infection.

Peripheral Arterial Disease

  • A condition commonly associated with diabetes.
  • Causes reduced blood flow to the feet and lower legs.
  • Limits delivery of oxygen and nutrients needed for healthy tissue.
  • Can weaken foot bones over time due to poor circulation.

Charcot Foot

  • Develops when weakened bones fracture without being felt
  • Continued walking causes repeated damage and joint collapse
  • Leads to severe foot deformity over time
  • Can significantly increase the risk of lower-limb amputation

Recommendations for Diabetic Foot Care During the Holidays

At Sunshein Podiatry, we want you to stay safe, healthy, and continue celebrating for many years to come. Because of this, we place a strong emphasis on diabetic foot care—and you should too. Yes, this time of year can be stressful and even frantic, but for decades, our compassionate podiatrists have provided patients in the Dayton area with expert advice and progressive treatment for diabetes management.

Here are our top tips to give yourself the gift of foot health this holiday season: 

  • Manage your blood sugar levels. Yes, this is something you need to do throughout the year, but you must keep a sharp eye on it during a season that's often associated with sweet treats of all kinds.
  • Avoid—or at least, limit—sugar in your diet. To connect with our previous tip, you should pass on most cookies and candies at holiday parties, and especially if you don’t know how much sugar they contain. Instead, offer to bring your own desserts or treats. By doing so, you can use diabetes-smart recipes and know exactly what they contain.
  • Wear your diabetic footwear. When you visit stores and malls to buy presents for loved ones this year, make sure to protect your feet by wearing comfortable diabetic socks and shoes. If you’ve been prescribed a pair of custom orthotics, use them so you are offloading pressure from the appropriate areas of your feet. Remember, at Sunshein Podiatry, we take the time to ensure these medical devices work in conjunction with your unique feet—and this means they make it more comfortable to walk around.
  • Maintain your exercise program. We know the season is busy, but your health absolutely must be a priority. So, as you plan out your week and determine when to schedule all the chores, activities, and events, make sure to block out time for low-impact exercise first.

Even though diabetes is a serious health consideration, we have some good news: you’re not on your own! You can count on Sunshein Podiatry for optimal foot health. If you need help creating an effective diabetic foot care plan or have recognized that a problem is starting to develop, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Choose Us for Detailed Diabetic Foot Care You Can Rely On

Left unchecked, diabetes creates dangerous situations. Managing the disease and staying vigilant towards your foot health helps you avoid more complicated conditions and enables you to stay active and independent. 

We can help. Schedule an appointment with our Centerville podiatrists at Sunshein Podiatry today to discuss your symptoms, ask questions, and explore a personalized treatment plan that empowers you to take control of your diabetic foot care. Our Centerville practice proudly welcomes patients from throughout the greater Dayton area, including Kettering, Beavercreek, Miamisburg, and surrounding Miami Valley communities.

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