Diabetes and Caring for Your Feet

Get the Facts

Risks and Prevention

Diabetes: Tests You Take

Monitoring Diabetes

Blood Glucose Control Home Glucose Testing Continuous Glucose Monitoring Monitoring Complications Diabetes-Related Foot Care Understanding High Morning Blood Sugars

Treatments

Complications of Diabetes

Living With Diabetes

Diabetes: Smart Eating

Diabetes Bookshelf

To the Diabetes Center

Diabetes Foot Care

When you have diabetes, taking good care of your feet is very important.Poor foot care can lead to serious problems, including possibly having toremove the foot or leg (amputation).

As a person with diabetes, you are more vulnerable to foot problems becausethe disease can damage your nerves and reduce blood flow to your feet. TheAmerican Diabetes Association estimates that one in five people with diabeteswho seek hospital care do so for foot problems. By taking proper care of yourfeet, most serious problems can be prevented.

Here are some tips to follow.

Wash and Dry Your Feet Daily

• Use mild soaps.
• Use warm water.
• Pat your skin dry; do not rub. Thoroughly dry your feet.
• After washing, use lotion on your feet to prevent cracking. Do not putlotion between your toes.

Examine Your Feet Each Day

• Check the tops and bottoms of your feet. Have someone else look at yourfeet if you cannot see them.
• Check for dry, cracked skin.
• Look for blisters, cuts, scratches, or other sores.
• Check for redness, increased warmth, or tenderness when touching any areaof your feet.
• Check for ingrown toenails, corns, and calluses.
• If you get a blister or sore from your shoes, do not "pop" it.Apply a bandage and wear a different pair of shoes.

Take Care of Your Toenails

• Cut toenails after bathing, when they are soft.
• Cut toenails straight across and smooth with an emery board.
• Avoid cutting into the corners of toes.
• You may want a podiatrist (foot doctor) to cut your toenails.

Be Careful When Exercising

• Walk and exercise in comfortable shoes.
• Do not exercise when you have open sores on your feet.

Protect Your Feet With Shoes and Socks

• Never go barefoot. Always protect your feet by wearing shoes or hard-soledslippers or footwear.
• Avoid shoes with high heels and pointed toes.
• Avoid shoes that expose your toes or heels (such as open-toed shoes orsandals). These types of shoes increase your risk for injury and potentialinfections.
• Try on new footwear with the type of socks you usually wear.
• Do not wear new shoes for more than an hour at a time.
• Look and feel inside your shoes before putting them on to make sure thereare no foreign objects or rough areas.
• Avoid tight socks.
• Wear natural-fiber socks (cotton, wool, or a cotton-wool blend).
• Wear special shoes if your healthcare provider recommends them.
• Wear shoes/boots that will protect your feet from various weatherconditions (cold, moisture, etc.).
• Make sure your shoes fit properly. If you have neuropathy (nerve damage), you maynot notice that your shoes are too tight. Perform the "footwear test"described below.

Footwear Test

Use this simple test to see if your shoes fit correctly:

• Stand on a piece of paper. (Make sure you are standing and not sitting,because your foot changes shape when you stand.)
• Trace the outline of your foot.
• Trace the outline of your shoe.
• Compare the tracings: Is the shoe too narrow? Is your foot crammed into theshoe? The shoe should be at least 1/2 inch longer than your longest toe and aswide as your foot.

Proper Shoe Choices

• Closed toes and heels.
• Leather uppers without a seam inside.
• At least 1/2 inch extra space at the end of your longest toe.
• Inside of shoe should be soft with no rough areas.
• Outer sole should be made of stiff material.
• Shoe should be at least as wide as your foot.

Tips for Foot Safety

• Don't wait to treat a minor foot problem. Follow your healthcare provider'sguidelines and the first aid guidelines.
• Report foot injuries and infections to your healthcare providerimmediately.
• Check water temperature with your elbow, not your foot.
• Do not use a heating pad on your feet.
• Do not cross your legs.
• Do not self-treat your corns, calluses, or other foot problems. Go to yourhealthcare provider or podiatrist to treat these conditions.

When to Call Your Doctor

See your healthcare provider if you have any of the following problems withyour feet:

• Athlete's foot (cracking between the toes)
• Sores or wounds on your feet
• Ingrown toenails
• Increasing numbness or pain
• Calluses
• Redness
• Blackening of skin
• Bunions
• Infection
• Hammer toes (when the middle joint of toes is permanently bentdownward)

Learn more about foot problems that occur in people with diabetes.
View the full table of contents for the Diabetes Guide.

Reviewed by Certified Diabetes Educators in the Department of Patient Education and Health Information and by physicians in the Department of Endocrinology at The Cleveland Clinic.

Edited by Louise Chang, MD on June 20, 2007.