Why are foot massagers not recommended for diabetics?

What is diabetes?

Diabetes is a serious medical condition that can happen to anyone. The number of diabetic patients recently has increased a lot all across the world and most of the patients have gotten this disease from their family through genes. Patients who suffer from this medical condition have to take extra precautions throughout and need to monitor their health very closely at all times, even the slightest of incident can be fatal for patients suffering from diabetics. Read More

Patients who have been suffering from diabetes for a long time may get exposed to many other health conditions eventually. These include eye damage, kidney damage, heart conditions or even neuropathy, mostly on the legs and feet. The feet of the diabetic patients is the most at risk and if the patient begins suffering from peripheral neuropathy then the result of that can be very extreme. 

Diabetes is a medical condition which can never be treated fully but with a good diet and exercise regime it can be controlled. 

Peripheral neuropathy and the dangers it can cause:

Peripheral neuropathy is what we call nerve damage in the areas of legs and feet and sometimes this can even occur in the hands and arms. The most common symptoms of peripheral neuropathy is muscle weakness, numbness and pain. If left untreated peripheral neuropathy can even cause hurdles in day to day functions such as urination, circulation and digestion. 

About half of the people that suffer from diabetes have peripheral neuropathy and this causes extra risks to their health. Peripheral neuropathy can make any part of the body, mostly the feet and legs go numb, so when if something happens to the feet the patient does not feel it which leads to many infections growing in that area. This can lead to extreme actions including amputation of the leg. 

Why is foot massager not recommended to diabetic patients?

With peripheral neuropathy comes great risks and if the diabetic patient is exposed to such risks then a foot massager might not be the best way to go. Even though massage has many benefits and it can help many recover from other conditions. For a diabetic patient is can be very harmful and even fatal if the patient is also suffering from peripheral neuropathy. 

Always ask a heath professional before indulging in something:

If you still want to go with a foot massager then make sure to contact a health professional before. Many doctors and physiotherapists reference foot massagers to their patients but many are strictly against it. To whether use a foot massage or not all depends on the type of diabetes a person is suffering from and a better judge of that would be a professional, so never ever take any decision on your own especially when it is involved with diabetes. Peripheral neuropathy is more common than ever in diabetic patients hence most of the people suffering from diabetes do not take upon the risk of using a foot massager.