Advice on Foot Care

The Influence of Exercise on Foot Perfusion in Diabetes.

Researchers at the Wound Healing Research Unit at Cardiff University in the UK measured changes in circulation in the foot following brief periods of exercise in participants with and without type 2 diabetes and arterial disease. There were 61 participants and 116 limbs were evaluated. The participants were divided into groups based on the presence or absence of diabetes, peripheral vascular disease and peripheral neuropathy. Measurements were used to evaluate circulation to the lower extremities and specifically at the foot and toes (Transcutaneous oxygen tension (TcPO(2)), transcutaneous carbon dioxide tension (TcPCO(2)), ankle-brachial pressure indices, toe pressures and toe-brachial pressure indices (TBI).

Results: After exercise, toe pressures and toe-brachial pressures increased in the non-diabetic group with arterial disease, but not in the group with diabetes. After exercise, the foot TcPO2 values increased in groups with diabetes.

Summary: These results suggest that brief periods of exercise can improve the cutaneous perfusion (increased circulation in the smaller vessels to the skin and superficial structures) in the feet and toes in patients with diabetes and those with diabetes and arterial disease as a result of the local heating after exercise.

Williams DT, Harding KG, Price PE. The influence of exercise on foot perfusion in diabetes. Diabet Med. 2007 Jun 25.

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