The prayer sign that occurs in diabetes is when you place the palms of the hands together and that can not be flat and there is a slightly flexed deformity of the fingers. The Prayer Sign used to be more common in the past when diabetes was less well controlled than it is today.
The relevance is two fold:
- It is a sign of significant progression of the limited joint mobility that happens in diabetes due to the glycation of the collagen in the ligaments. This restriction of motion will have a significant impact on the biomechanics of the foot and place the foot at greater risk for complications.
- Those who have this sign will have limited mobility of the fingers and hands and will find self-care of the feet as being more difficult. This needs to be taken into account when giving those with diabetes advice about what they should and should not be doing with their feet as some of the things they may not be able to do.