Diabetic Foot Care

Taking care of your feet when you have diabetes is an important part of your self-care regimen. Diabetic nerve damage can lessen your ability to feel sensations like pain, heat, and cold. This means that you may not even realize that you have a foot injury like a cut or blister until it gets infected. Nerve damage can even cause the shape of your feet and toes to change, making regular shoes uncomfortable and possibly damaging to your feet.​

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Diabetes also causes blood vessels to narrow and harden, resulting in poor circulation (blood flow)—another culprit when it comes to foot complications. Poor circulation makes it more difficult for your foot to fight infection and heal.

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While even small cuts and ulcers can lead to more serious infections that result in loss of a limb, there are things you can do to protect your feet. Follow these tips to help prevent injury and reduce the risk of developing foot problems that can occur when you’re living with diabetes and neuropathy. If you notice problems like numbness, ulcers, or cuts that have not healed, it is important that you be examined by a doctor right away.