7 Steps to Protect Your Feet

Foot problems are a common complication of diabetes. Here are steps you can take to protect your feet.

Diabetes can cause serious issues with your feet. This is an experience I am very familiar with from watching my father go through it. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to help prevent serious complications.

Before his passing, my father — who lived most of his life with diabetes — lost most of his foot to amputation. He developed ulcers that did not heal.

Though he and his doctors tried many treatments for several years, they eventually had no other option except to amputate part of his foot.

The first amputation took his large toe and bit off the front of his foot. The second took most of his foot, leaving him with a stump and the need for a walker.

My father’s experience isn’t unique — it’s common and can happen to anyone with diabetes. But there are ways that you can help reduce your risk of serious foot complications and potentially avoid amputation.

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Why is foot health important?

Diabetes can cause issues with the muscles and joints in your feet. Muscles can become weaker in some areas, leading to changes in shape, such as hammertoes.

Over time, diabetes can cause nerve damage, known as diabetic neuropathy. This condition can cause pain and tingling in your feet and might even cause you to completely lose feeling in them.

This puts you at risk of not noticing when your foot gets injured from a blister or cut. Changes in shape, such as hammertoe and repeated pressure on one area, can also increase the risk of injury to your skin. Even small cuts can lead to an infection, especially if you don’t realize those cuts have happened.

Another common issue is loss of blood flow to your feet. A lack of blood flow to your feet can make it difficult for infections to heal. In some cases, a severe infection may never heal. This can lead to gangrene and the development of ulcers that do not heal.

If other treatments do not help heal gangrene or ulcers, a doctor will likely suggest amputation of part or all of your foot or lower leg. They might recommend a conservative amputation, in which they’ll try to save as much of your foot as possible. But repeated amputations are sometimes necessary to remove additional infected tissue.

This happened in my father’s case. He developed an infected ulcer that did not heal, even with several attempts at treatment. At first, doctors amputated only his large toe, which led to a need for specialized shoes designed for toe amputation.

His foot never fully healed, and additional surgeries were necessary to remove all but a small portion of his foot. As a result, he needed to use a cane to get around.

Diabetes can also lead to changes in foot shape, such as Charcot’s foot, but this is rare. This condition often starts with swelling, warmth, and redness. Eventually, it can cause the bones in your foot to break or shift, leading to changes in foot shape.

Tips for daily foot care

Diabetes, including type 2 diabetes, often leads to foot complications, but you can take steps to help prevent them. The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases and the American Diabetes Association suggest the following tips:

1. Talk with a doctor about any concerns

If you notice changes in your feet, let a doctor know as soon as possible. Things to look for include:

• changes in sensation, such as numbness, pain, or tingling
• cuts, blisters, or ulcers that do not heal
• swelling, redness, or warmth

Doctors who are familiar with type 2 diabetes should recognize the signs of foot problems and help you take steps to help protect them.

2. Keep your feet clean

Wash and thoroughly dry your feet every day. Once they’re dry, you can apply moisturizer to them. However, to prevent infection, avoid putting moisturizer between your toes.

3. Check your feet daily

When washing your feet, examine them for cuts, blisters, or other unusual symptoms. If you don’t look while washing them, make sure to do it once each day. Let a doctor know if you find anything unusual.

4. Keep your nails trimmed and neat

Toenails can cause cuts and scrapes on your toes. To avoid this, keep them short and use a nail file to file off any sharp edges.

5. Check your footwear

What you put on your feet can make a difference. Look for moisture-wicking socks to help keep your feet dry throughout the day, and change your shoes and socks if they get wet. Check that your shoes fit well to avoid excessive rubbing that can lead to blisters.

Before putting on your socks or shoes, check them to ensure that there aren’t any small stones or other objects inside that could cause a blister or cut.

6. Avoid certain activities

Some activities can increase your risk of foot issues. Smoking, soaking your feet, and walking barefoot can increase your risk of injuries or problems with your feet.

7. Take steps to manage diabetes

An important aspect of self-care is making sure you follow recommendations to manage your blood sugar. This can include taking medications as prescribed, staying active, and eating a diet that helps keep your blood sugar from spiking.

Takeaway

Foot problems are common when you live with type 2 diabetes. Your nerves, blood flow, skin, muscles, and joints can all develop problems as complications of diabetes.

You might not be able to prevent all diabetes-related complications, but you may be able to avoid some potential issues by taking care of your feet. This includes checking for cuts and scrapes, washing your feet daily, and wearing good-quality footwear.

Health experts also recommend avoiding certain activities that can increase your risk, such as smoking, soaking your feet, and walking barefoot.

If you notice changes to your feet, let a doctor know as soon as possible. They can help develop a treatment plan to preserve the health of your feet and avoid possible amputation.