Get to the bottom of any foot problems by using a mirror or asking for help. Check your feet every day for cuts, redness, swelling, sores, blisters, corns, calluses, or any other change to the skin or nails. Use a mirror if you can't see the bottom of your feet, or ask a family member to help.
Avoid soaking your feet, as this can lead to dry skin. Dry your feet gently, especially between the toes. Moisturize your feet and ankles with lotion or petroleum jelly. Do not put oils or creams between your toes — the extra moisture can lead to infection.
Look for cuts, bruises, blisters, discoloration, callus build-up, or anything abnormal. Check between toes – Inspect between each of your toes for small injuries and skin changes as well. Feel for changes – Run your hands over your feet to feel for changes you might not see easily, like lumps, bumps, and cold spots.
When you have diabetes, high glucose levels in the blood can damage nerves and blood vessels. Because the nerves and blood vessels supplying the feet are so long and delicate, the feet — and especially the toes — often get affected first.
Tingling, burning, or pain in your feet. Loss of sense of touch or ability to feel heat or cold very well. A change in the shape of your feet over time. Loss of hair on your toes, feet, and lower legs.
How does diabetes cause foot problems? Foot problems are common in people with diabetes. They can happen over time when high blood sugar damages the nerves and blood vessels in the feet. The nerve damage, called diabetic neuropathy, can cause numbness, tingling, pain, or a loss of feeling in your feet.
Although rare, nerve damage from diabetes can lead to changes in the shape of your feet, such as Charcot's foot. Charcot's foot may start with redness, warmth, and swelling. Later, bones in your feet and toes can shift or break, which can cause your feet to have an odd shape, such as a “rocker bottom.”
Wear socks or stockings with shoes. Wear socks without seams. Avoid tight-fitting socks and garters. Wear socks in bed if your feet are cold at night.
Discoloration: One of the most common signs of diabetic foot ulcers is black or brown tissue called eschar that often appears around the wound because of a lack of blood flow to the feet. Wounds that have progressed to the stages where they're covered by eschar can lead to severe problems.
Prediabetes and Nerve Damage
This diabetic neuropathy can lead to numbness, tingling, burning or pain in the extremities such as the feet, toes and hands. Your feet are especially vulnerable to nerve damage as well as blood vessel damage from high blood sugar.
People with diabetes can easily get wounds on their feet. Improper cutting or care of toenails and feet is the leading cause that could lead to toe finger and foot amputation.
Walking without foot protection can be especially dangerous for those with diabetes and suffer from peripheral neuropathy. Not wearing shoes puts you at risk for injuries to the bottoms of your feet that you may not feel due to the loss of sensation from nerve damage.
Diabetes can make pedicures dangerous: Reduced circulation can make injuries and infections more likely, and take longer to heal. Peripheral neuropathy can reduce feeling in your feet, making you unable to tell if the technician is hurting you, or if a hot footbath is scalding you.
It can be an early sign of so-called "diabetic belly," a build-up of visceral fat in your abdomen which may be a symptom of type 2 diabetes and can increase your chances of developing other serious medical conditions.
White material to increase awareness of bleeding cuts
By wearing white socks — the color of most diabetic socks — you are far more likely to notice a bleeding cut or blister.
Here are some of the signs and symptoms of poor circulation in people with diabetes. Cold hands and feet. Narrowed blood vessels, along with nerve damage, conspire to make the hands and feet feel chilled. Numbness or tingling in the feet and hands.
Exercise to benefit problem areas
If you are having circulation problems, choose exercises that focus on that part of the body. If circulation is poor in your feet, walking gets blood moving in your toes, feet, ankles and legs. If you can't get outside, target your lower body with squats, leg lifts and calf raises.
Diabetes can cause changes in the skin of your foot. At times your foot may become very dry. The skin may peel and crack. This problem is caused by nerve damage that affects your body's ability to control the oil and moisture in your foot.
The best way to determine if you have type 1 diabetes is a blood test. There are different methods such as an A1C test, a random blood sugar test, or a fasting blood sugar test. They are all effective and your doctor can help determine what's appropriate for you.
Diabetic foot ulcers can take a long time to heal – about three months – and you'll need to check in frequently with a doctor to make sure that the healing process stays on track. In some cases, you may need special shoes to reduce pressure on the wound.
For low blood sugar between 55-69 mg/dL, raise it by following the 15-15 rule: have 15 grams of carbs and check your blood sugar after 15 minutes. If it's still below your target range, have another serving. Repeat these steps until it's in your target range.