Diabetic feet: an owner’s guide to care and maintenance

As a diabetic, foot care may not be your top priority. However, diabetes can reduce the blood circulation to your feet and lower legs (peripheral arterial disease), and also damage the nerves in your feet (diabetes peripheral neuropathy).

The result is that if you cut or injure your foot, you are far less likely to feel it. Left unnoticed and/or untreated, cuts and lesions in the skin of your feet can become infected. A daily foot care routine can help keep your feet healthy and ensure you (or anyone helping you) notice any cuts or blisters before they become an issue.

Your daily diabetic foot care plan

Taking just 10 minutes to do a thorough check won’t impact your day much but it will really help keep your feet healthy!

Inspect

Inspecting your feet is much easier if you are flexible. We know it’s more tricky to see all of your feet if you have mobility issues, or just are not quite as flexible as you used to be. So, use a full length wardrobe mirror (and wear your glasses!), or ask for help from a family member or partner. You can also put your mobile phone on a selfie stick and view your feet from all angles. (We suggest you sit down first!)

You should check between your toes and on the soles of your feet for cuts, blisters, redness, or swelling. If you find any that are new and don’t look infected, Diabetes Canada recommends to:

“Clean cuts or scratches with mild soap and water, and cover with a dry dressing suitable for sensitive skin” (1)

Clean

Wash your feet daily in warm water and use a mild soap. If you shower, make sure your feet are properly cleaned underneath and between your toes. Do not scrub your feet with anything abrasive such as a loofer, pumice stone, net bath/shower ball, bath sponge, or even a flannel. (3)

Dry

Don’t skimp on drying time! It is important to thoroughly dry your feet all over, especially between toes. This is also your chance to spot any injuries, and inspect your toenails to see if they also need attention from a specialist.

Moisturise

Supple skin is healthy skin, so gently apply a sensitive skin lotion to your heels and soles to prevent them cracking. However, do NOT moisturise between your toes.

Nail Care

If needs be, you can trim your own nails, but many of our patients prefer our foot team to do this for them. This ensure they are correctly trimmed and you don’t accidentally damage your feet with nail clippers or scissors yourself. Just call us to make an appointment at one of our three foot care clinics.

Socks

Ensure you wear a clean, dry pair of socks daily, preferably made from natural fibres such as cotton or bamboo. Any marks found on a pair of clean white socks will help detect any cuts or sores that are weeping or bleeding. Avoid any socks with tight elastics that can restrict blood flow in swollen diabetic legs, ankles and feet.

Act on any changes

If any aspect of your foot and skin health has changed, act quickly to prevent small problems developing into major issues. You should consult your doctor if you notice open sores, cuts that don’t heal, or any changes in your skin’s colour or temperature.

Look also for any developing calluses, corns, or ingrown toenails, which will require professional care. Never use any over-the-counter medications to treat any corns and warts you may find, as these medications can be dangerous for people with diabetes.

Also, over-the-counter insoles are usually not a good fit for people with diabetic feet. Instead, come and talk to us about custom orthotics that are individually-made to fit your feet.

For more details on how we can help you to enjoy life without worrying about your feet, see our Diabetic Foot Care page.

Daily life with diabetic feet

Your daily foot care regime will set you up for your day, but you also need to be aware of other day to day factors that can impact on your foot health, including:

The best footwear

Supportive, enclosed shoes will protect your feet from impact and maintain a good posture too. When buying new shoes, go to a store in person in the late afternoon when your feet are most swollen.

Barefoot in the park?

Actually, barefoot nowhere please! Pop on slippers and shoes even when indoors. Bare feet are vulnerable feet.

Keep your cool

Overheating your feet can cause them to swell further, so don’t put heat direct on your feet such as hot water bottles, heated throws or microwaveable slippers, or other forms of heat packs. Equally protect your feet from extreme winter cold and from getting cold when wet.

Help with diabetic foot care

At Hunt Footcare, our friendly and experienced diabetes foot clinic team can help you with all aspects of your foot care, including:

Regular preventative foot care
Skin lesions treatments
Skin dressing and treatment
Management of ulcers and wounds
Custom orthotics
Specialist socks and hosiery

About the author

J.Craig Hunt D.Ch. is founder of Hunt Footcare, one of Southwestern Ontario’s longest providers of professional footcare and foot surgery consultation services. He is Past President of both the College of Chiropodists of Ontario and the Ontario Society of Chiropodists. Read more about Craig here.

SOURCES:

(1) Diabetes Canada. (n.d.). Foot care: A step-by-step guide. https://guidelines.diabetes.ca/GuideLines/media/Docs/Patient%20Resources/foot-care.pdf

(2) Hunchak, C., & Aronson, R. (2018). Foot care. In Diabetes Canada Clinical Practice Guidelines Expert Committee (Eds.), Diabetes Canada 2018 clinical practice guidelines for the prevention and management of diabetes in Canada. https://www.diabetes.ca/health-care-providers/clinical-practice-guidelines/chapter-32#panel-tab_FullText

(3) Canadian Pharmacists Association. (n.d.). Diabetes & your feet: Step into a healthy routine [Infographic]. https://www.pharmacists.ca/cpha-ca/assets/File/Infographic/Infographic_FootCare_En.pdf

(4) MyHealth.Alberta.ca. (2023, September 20). Diabetes: How to take care of your feet. https://myhealth.alberta.ca/Alberta/Pages/How-to-take-care-of-your-feet.aspx

Published On: March 31, 2026