The Relationship Between Feet and Diabetes

Maintaining the health of your feet is part of living with diabetes, as high blood sugar levels (hyperglycemia) for an extended period of time can ultimately lead to peripheral neuropathy (reduced feeling in the feet from a damaged nerve)4. This numbness can make recognizing foot problems difficult3.

 

Table of Contents

Signs of Diabetic Foot Arrow icon
Diabetes-Related Foot Complications Arrow icon
Tips for Preventing Diabetic Foot
Issues Arrow icon
Treating Diabetic Foot Issues Arrow icon

Signs of Diabetic Foot

Checking your feet regularly is crucial for noticing and managing diabetic foot issues before they worsen, so recognizing the signs of diabetic foot is important. Use a mirror if you are having trouble seeing1.

Look for swelling, warmth, and redness, in addition to assessing pain or discomfort in your feet3. These are not all the signs of diabetic foot issues, so do not hesitate to tell your healthcare provider any problems you have with your feet.

 

Diabetes-Related Foot Complications  

Unnoticed diabetic foot issues can lead to more serious complications.

  • Diabetic foot ulcers are common in people living with diabetes5.
  • Peripheral arterial disease may occur when blood flow does not reach the lower extremities (hip, legs, and feet)6.
  • Charcot foot (joint-related disease) is a rare condition where bones in the foot weaken. Symptoms include hot, swollen feet sometimes without visible wounds7.
 

Tips for Preventing Diabetic Foot Issues

Preventive care is key to keeping your feet healthy. In addition to looking for any signs of diabetic foot issues each day and frequent checkups with your healthcare provider, there are other ways to help prevent foot issues:

  1. Wear comfortable shoes and socks, and change your socks every day. Special footwear is also available if you are having trouble finding shoes that work for you1.
  2. Practice good foot hygiene. Use warm water to keep your feet clean and be sure to dry them thoroughly after each wash. Carefully apply moisturizer but avoid areas in between your toes, where fungal infections can develop3. Keep your toenails trimmed and filed straight across1. Your healthcare provider can help if your feet are difficult to reach3.
  3. Maintain a healthy lifestyle. Taking care of your whole body is part of managing any condition. Healthy eating, exercise, and smoking cessation can help prevent diabetic foot issues1,4. Ask your healthcare provider about exercises that specifically target your feet2.
  4. Keep on top of your treatment: Monitoring blood glucose levels regularly to make sure your medication is working correctly can help you stay ahead of hyperglycemia and diabetic foot issues3.
 

Treating Diabetic Foot Issues

Even with good care, diabetic foot issues can still happen. Common treatments include:

  • Antibiotics: Your healthcare provider may prescribe oral antibiotics if ulcers and wounds become infected1. Severe infections, including bone infections (called osteomyelitis), may require intravenous antibiotics1.
  • Wound care: Although specific wound care guidance is not available for people living with diabetes, proper cleaning, dressing, and sometimes keeping weight off the area (offloading) can help with wound healing. If an ulcer is present, your healthcare provider may need to perform a procedure called debridement3,7.
  • Surgery: In severe cases, unmanaged wounds may eventually require amputation of the affected area. Be sure to ask your healthcare provider any questions that you may have should surgery become necessary1. 

Stay on Your Toes

Consult your healthcare provider on what to do about foot neuropathy or any other diabetic foot issues. Regular monitoring with the CONTOUR®NEXT GEN meter helps keep blood glucose levels in check, which is crucial for preventing foot complications in people living with diabetes

Discover CONTOUR®NEXT GEN

References:

  1. Matheson EM, Bragg SW, Blackwelder RS. Diabetes-related foot infections: diagnosis and treatment. Am Fam Physician. 20211;104(4):386-394.
  2. van Netten JJ, Price PE, Lavery LA, et al; International Working Group on the Diabetic Foot. Prevention of foot ulcers in the at-risk patient with diabetes: a systematic review. Diabetes Metab Res Rev. 2016;32 Suppl 1:84-98. doi: 10.1002/dmrr.2701.
  3. Embil JM, Albalawi Z, Bowering K, Trepman E: Diabetes Canada Clinical Practice Guidelines Expert Committee. Foot Care. Can J Diabetes. 2018;42 Suppl 1:S222-S227. doi: 10.1016/j.jcjd.2017.10.020.
  4. Diabetes Canada. Nerve damage & amputation. Diabetes Canada. Accessed December 3, 2024. Available from https://www.diabetes.ca/managing-my-diabetes/preventing-complications/nerve-damage---amputation.
  5. Akkus G, Sert M. Diabetic foot ulcers: A devastating complication of diabetes mellitus continues non-stop in spite of new medical treatment modalities. World J Diabetes. 2022;13(12):1106-1121. doi: 10.4239/wjd.v13.i12.1106.
  6. Barnes JA, Eid MA, Creager MA, Goodney PP. Epidemiology and risk of amputation in patients with diabetes mellitus and peripheral artery disease. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 2020;40(8):1808-1817. doi: 10.1161/ATVBAHA.120.314595. 
  7. Armstrong DG, Tan TW, Boulton AJM, Bus SA. Diabetic foot ulcers: a review. JAMA. 2023 3;330(1):62-75. doi: 10.1001/jama.2023.10578.