From the Guidelines
Feet and hands require regular care and attention to prevent complications, particularly in individuals with diabetes, as recommended by the most recent guidelines 1.
Importance of Foot and Hand Care
Feet and hands are essential extremities that serve crucial functions in mobility, manipulation, and sensory perception. Feet support our body weight, enable walking and running, and contain 26 bones each, along with numerous muscles, tendons, and ligaments. Hands are remarkably dexterous appendages with 27 bones each, allowing for precise movements and manipulations through the opposition of the thumb to other fingers. Both extremities contain numerous nerve endings that provide important sensory information about our environment.
Common Issues and Prevention
Regular care of feet and hands is important, including:
- Proper hygiene
- Moisturizing to prevent dryness and cracking
- Appropriate footwear
- Ergonomic tools to prevent strain injuries Common issues affecting these extremities include:
- Arthritis
- Carpal tunnel syndrome
- Plantar fasciitis
- Fungal infections These issues may require specific treatments ranging from rest and physical therapy to medication or, in severe cases, surgical intervention. Maintaining good circulation through regular movement and avoiding prolonged pressure on these areas helps preserve their function throughout life, as emphasized in recent studies 1.
Diabetes-Related Complications
In individuals with diabetes, proper foot care is crucial to prevent complications such as diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN), which can cause pain, numbness, and tingling in the feet and hands 1. The most recent guidelines recommend optimizing glucose control to prevent or delay the development of neuropathy in patients with type 1 diabetes and to slow the progression of neuropathy in patients with type 2 diabetes 1. Additionally, assessing and treating patients to reduce pain related to DPN and symptoms of autonomic neuropathy can improve quality of life 1. Regular assessment and treatment of DPN are essential to prevent mortality and morbidity associated with this condition 1.
From the Research
Feet and Hands Injuries and Conditions
- There is limited information available on feet, however, hand injuries are a common presentation to general practice and optimal hand function is essential for good quality of life 2.
- Hand hygiene has been recognized as the most important means of preventing the transmission of infection, and great emphasis has been placed on ways to improve hand hygiene compliance by health care workers (HCWs) 3.
Management and Prevention
- The management of hand injuries requires an understanding of the principles that are unique to the management of hand injuries, such as reduced periods of immobilisation and the invaluable role of hand therapists 2.
- Pressure injury prevention in the critical care population necessitates risk assessment, selection of appropriate preventive interventions, and ongoing assessment to determine the adequacy of the preventive interventions, which can also be applied to feet 4.
Related Conditions
- There is no direct relationship between feet and hands and the development of type 2 diabetes, however, some drugs that have apparent "anti-inflammatory" properties may reduce the incidence and/or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes 5.
- Drug-induced diabetes is one of the factors contributing to the increasing incidence of diabetes worldwide, and some drugs may have an impact on feet and hands, such as glucocorticoids and statins 6.