Diabetes and Foot Health: What You Need to Know to Prevent Serious Complications
September 15, 2025
Diabetes can have a serious impact on foot health, often in ways that go unnoticed until complications arise. The condition can make feet especially vulnerable to injuries, infections, and ulcers, complications that can lead to amputation if untreated. Fortunately, with proper care and early intervention, many of these issues are preventable.
Why diabetes puts your feet at risk
Diabetes is a disease that is caused when blood glucose (blood sugar), your body’s main source of energy, is too high. When someone has diabetes, their body isn’t able to make enough insulin, the hormone secreted by the pancreas that helps glucose enter your cells to provide energy. When there isn’t enough insulin, glucose stays in your blood and is unable to enter your cells.
Because people with diabetes have reduced blood flow and a high glucose level, their body's nerves can become damaged. Around half of all people with diabetes have some level of nerve damage and the nerves in your feet and legs are most often affected.
“Sadly, almost all of the diabetics and foot doctors at Saint Joe’s know somebody who has lost a toe, a foot, or even a leg. It’s because something happened that they didn’t notice at first, and it just kept progressing into a severe infection,” says Lou Ann Hall-Matos, DPM, podiatrist at Saint Joseph Health System.
What are common diabetes foot complications?
There are a number of nerve-related complications that come from having diabetes, especially if the patient doesn’t take precautions, see a physician regularly or maintain healthy feet. These can include:
- Diabetic neuropathy. This can cause tingling and pain, making you lose feeling in your feet. You may not feel blisters or small cuts, leading to larger injuries, sores and possible infections.
- Foot ulcers. Most often forming on the ball of the foot or bottom of the big toes, ulcers can eventually result in infections if not properly dealt with, even if they aren’t painful.
- Infections. Because people with diabetes have less blood flow than others, this can make it difficult for an infection to heal properly.
- Amputations. While amputations while not common, people with diabetes are far more likely to have a foot or leg amputated. Due to the combination of aforementioned factors, it’s possible for an ulcer or infection that gets so bad, the only treatment is cutting off the infected area.
How to prevent foot complications from diabetes
While the consequences from not taking care of your feet are serious, prevention is fairly simple, requiring only small changes to your daily lifestyle. When you have diabetes, caring for your feet is one of the most important things you can do. You can follow these tips for healthy feet:
- Check your feet every day for cuts, swelling, blisters and other changes.
- Wash your feet every day, but don’t soak them. Make sure to dry entirely and use lotion except in between your toes.
- Trim toenails regularly.
- Wear shoes that fit well.
- Don’t go barefoot, even indoors, to prevent injury.
- Exercise regularly to improve blood circulation.
When and why to see a podiatrist
A podiatrist is a medical professional that treats the disorders of the foot, ankle and other structures related to the leg. They play a key role in detecting and treating foot problems of people with diabetes. By seeing a podiatrist regularly, they will catch problems before they escalate and promote early intervention.
The exact frequency with which you see a podiatrist will be different for every patient. However, in general, low-risk individuals with diabetes should see them annually while high-risk individuals should see them quarterly. Podiatrists can also provide specialized care, such as fitting you for orthotics and recommending you to wound care centers if needed.
“For diabetic patients with minimal risk, we usually see them once a year for a comprehensive foot exam. But for those at higher risk, like patients who’ve had amputations or have major deformities, we see them every three months,” says Dr. Hall-Matos.
Multidisciplinary podiatry care at Saint Joseph Health System
Effective treatment of diabetic foot complications requires timely care and collaboration across medical specialties. At Saint Joseph Health System, patients benefit from a comprehensive podiatry program that addresses everything from routine foot care to complex reconstructive surgery. When diabetic ulcers, infections, or structural deformities develop, early intervention is key to preventing serious outcomes such as amputation.
Saint Joe's certified podiatrists begin with conservative treatments, including wound cleaning, antibiotics, and pressure-relieving footwear. For more advanced cases, surgical options may be necessary, particularly when infections reach bone or when chronic ulcers fail to heal.
Podiatrists work closely with specialists in surgical services, radiology, physical therapy, sports medicine, diabetes education, and wound healing. This ensures that every aspect of a patient’s condition is addressed, also supporting a robust podiatric residency program, training future surgeons in high-volume outpatient settings and preparing them for board certification in forefoot, rearfoot/ankle, and orthopedic medicine.
