Diabetes is a condition that makes your blood sugar levels more difficult to manage. When not managed well, those challenges can have surprising implications for your feet.
When your diabetes isn’t well controlled, poor circulation can cause you to end up with foot numbness, painful sores that won’t heal, foot infections, and diabetic ulcers. Early detection is key to preventing these problems.
Podiatrist Thomas Rambacher, DPM, FACFAS, FAPWCA, from Podiatry Hotline Foot & Ankle in Mission Viejo, California, shares six warning signs that may indicate your diabetes is causing foot problems.
Any indication of numbness, including tingling, pins and needles sensations, and being unable to feel well in your feet, is one of the earliest signs you have diabetic neuropathy. Foot nerve damage makes it harder for you to feel problems in your feet, which increases the risk of foot infections and complications.
Early-stage diabetic feet can change in appearance, including becoming paler from poor blood circulation and redder, pinker, or yellow. When the discoloration is near a sore or injury, it can also be a sign of an infection.
Reduced blood and nerve flow can cause your foot to feel cold to the touch. Your skin might also feel drier or more cracked, or the area around an infected diabetic wound may feel warmer than the rest of the foot.
People with diabetic feet are more likely to have thicker, yellowed nails. You’re more susceptible to conditions like fungal nails and ingrown toenails than someone who doesn’t have diabetes.
Diabetes often reduces pain in your feet, but you can experience cramping in nearby areas like your calves, lower legs, and buttocks. If your feet start to hurt and you usually have reduced sensation from diabetic neuropathy, it can also be a sign of a more serious infection or another foot problem that urgently needs assessment.
Anyone can get occasional blisters, corns, calluses, and cuts on their feet. If your foot problems are healing more slowly than usual, or you’re becoming more prone to various foot infections, this means diabetes might be impacting your feet.
There’s no cure for diabetic feet, but our team can develop a plan that keeps your feet as healthy as possible and reduces your risk of severe complications like severe infections, Charcot foot, gangrene, and amputation. Our team works with your entire team of doctors to develop lifestyle and medication recommendations that help stabilize your diabetes and reduce the risk of foot problems.
We recommend that most people with diabetes get regular foot checks and adopt a diet, exercise, and foot-care routine that promotes overall health and foot health. We also often recommend further treatments such as special shoes, medical-grade custom orthotics, and medication.
If you’ve been diagnosed with diabetes or are seeing concerning signs of diabetic foot problems, our team can help. Contact us to get started on the road to treatment.
