You may experience foot issues as a result of diabetes and the high blood sugars that can accompany this condition. These may include nerve damage and other foot-related issues.

Managing diabetes and keeping blood sugar within a healthy range may protect against heart attacks and strokes, and your diabetes management can also keep your feet healthy.

High blood sugar levels can reduce blood flow in your feet, leading to complications in your feet and toes. This is why routine foot exams, at home and by your healthcare team, can be important along with your diabetes management.

Prolonged high blood sugar can gradually damage blood vessels, restricting blood flow to organs and other parts of the body.

Blood vessel damage also affects blood flow to your feet, potentially causing a number of foot health issues.

This may include your feet, toes, and lower legs.

More than half of people with diabetes may experience neuropathy at some point in their lifetime. This damage can occur anywhere in the body, but often affects the nerves in the feet and legs.

This can lead to a number of symptoms, including:

  • tingling sensation
  • burning
  • shooting pain
  • dull aches
  • loss of feeling in your feet or toes
  • your feet may fall asleep more often

How severe these symptoms appear can vary widely, including how long you may have been experiencing diabetes-related neuropathy and possibly how high your glucose levels are.

As neuropathy worsens, you might lose more feeling in your feet. This is when neuropathy becomes most dangerous, because it can mean you don’t notice any pain or injury in the foot or toes.

That can lead to cuts, sores, and blisters on your feet going unnoticed.

If not treated, these issues may lead to infections and could lead to amputation.

Diabetic neuropathy can lead to other complications.

Reduced blood flow to your feet means that sores or infections might not heal as easily. Infections that don’t heal can progress to gangrene, which means the tissue has died due to a lack of blood flow.

If gangrene starts to affect other parts of your body, your doctor might have to amputate a toe, foot, or leg to stop its spread.

Diabetes can also cause a circulation disorder known as peripheral vascular disease. This cardiovascular disease results from limited blood flow to the legs and feet, and a blockage or narrowing of blood vessels also restricts blood flow.

This condition can occur in anyone, but the risk is higher in people with diabetes, because blood vessel changes often prevent the smooth flow of blood.

Plus, high blood sugar can thicken blood to the point where it doesn’t flow easily.

Nerve damage from diabetes can also trigger a rare condition known as Charcot foot.

This typically occurs when a person has an injury, such as a sprain or fracture, that goes unnoticed due to the lack of sensation caused by peripheral neuropathy. As the person continues to walk on the injured foot, trauma to the bone occurs.

Deformity occurs when joints become dislocated and collapse. The arch of the foot will often collapse, too, causing a roundness on the bottom of the feet.

Along with foot deformity, other signs of Charcot foot include swelling, and your feet might appear red and warm to the touch.

A round bottom on feet also raises the risk of sores due to friction. If you have diabetic neuropathy and lose feeling in your feet, an open sore can become infected. This puts you at risk for amputation.

Poor blood circulation and blood flow can slow the healing process of sores on your feet, putting you at risk for serious, life-threatening complications.

Even if you haven’t lost feeling in your feet, bring the following symptoms to your doctor’s attention. Signs of feet issues include:

If you experience any diabetes-related foot health issues, you can discuss possible treatment options with your healthcare team.

These may include prescription or over-the-counter medication, antibiotics, blood sugar management, and lifestyle adjustments such as changes in eating and exercise.

For severe peripheral vascular disease, one treatment option could also include an angioplasty surgical procedure to open up a blocked artery and restore blood flow.

The treatment option may depend on the particular foot issue you’re experiencing, how that may have developed, and many other factors.

Explore how you can treat and manage leg pain or cramps that may develop from diabetes.

A key way to prevent foot issues from diabetes is to keep your blood sugars within your target range.

This target range may depend on many factors, and it’s important to discuss it with your diabetes care team to help determine what’s best for you.

Tips to prevent foot issues from diabetes

Other tips to prevent foot issues include:

You can also take good foot care practices that are important for people with diabetes.

  • Examine your feet daily and look for signs of injury, such as scrapes, cuts, blisters, etc.
  • Wear appropriately fitting shoes to avoid injury and blisters.
  • Don’t walk barefoot.
  • Moisturize your feet daily.
  • Wash and dry your feet daily.
  • Trim your toenails straight across to avoid ingrown nails.
  • See a doctor to remove corns or calluses (don’t do it yourself).
  • Treat cuts immediately to avoid infection (clean wounds daily and apply antibiotic ointment).

Make sure to keep your healthcare team in mind for any foot-related issues, including those that seem more minor, like dry skin or an ingrown toenail. They can turn into more serious issues. A doctor can help diagnose any concerns or unusual changes with your feet.

Although there’s no cure for diabetes, a healthy diet, regular exercise, and taking your medication as instructed can lower your risk for complications.

It’s very important to keep your feet healthy when you have diabetes. Check your feet daily for signs of injury or infection, and see your doctor right away if you notice any unusual symptoms.