Surgery Journey
Diabetic Foot Care: Protecting Your Feet Every Day
Diabetic Foot Care: Daily Checks, Tips and Warnings
A patient's guide to protecting your feet when you live with diabetes — why foot problems happen, the daily care routine, warning signs that need same-day care, and how the surgical team treats them
Sources reviewed: 4 November 2026
What is the diabetic foot?
“Diabetic foot” describes the foot problems that people with diabetes are prone to: sores and ulcers that are slow to heal, infections, and changes in the shape of the foot. These problems are common, but many of them can be prevented — or caught early, when they are much easier to treat.
The first Gulf regional guidelines for diabetic foot ulcers have now been published, written for our region's climate, footwear and services. Their message matches international guidance: a small problem found early is a small problem; the same problem found late can threaten the foot.
Why does diabetes affect the feet?
Two changes work together. First, diabetes can damage the nerves of the feet over time, so feeling is reduced. A blister, a cut, or a shoe rubbing may cause little or no pain, and the injury goes unnoticed. Second, diabetes can narrow the blood vessels, so less blood reaches the feet and healing is slower.
Diabetes also makes infection more likely and healing slower in general, as we explain in our guide to diabetes and surgery. Hard skin (callus) building up at a pressure point is an early warning sign: it means one spot is taking too much pressure, and the skin underneath can break down.
Your daily foot check
Make this a daily habit — many patients do it right after washing their feet. If bending is hard or your eyesight is limited, use a mirror or the light on your phone, or ask a family member to help.
- Look at the tops and soles of both feet, and between the toes.
- Look for cuts, blisters, cracks, or broken skin.
- Look for redness, swelling, or a spot that feels warmer than the skin around it.
- Look for any change in colour — pale, red, blue, or dark patches.
- Check your nails and the skin around them.
- Notice new hard skin or callus, especially under the ball of the foot or the heel.
Daily care: what to do, and what to avoid
Do
- Wash your feet every day with lukewarm water and mild soap.
- Dry them carefully, especially between the toes.
- Moisturise dry skin on the feet — but not between the toes.
- Cut your toenails straight across and file sharp edges gently. If you cannot see well, or your circulation is poor, let a professional trim them.
- Wear clean socks that fit well, and shoes that fit the shape of your feet.
- Shake your shoes out and feel inside them before you put them on.
Avoid
- Never walk barefoot — not outdoors, and not indoors either. Walking in socks only, or in thin-soled slippers, is not enough protection.
- Do not try to cut away callus or treat a sore yourself with blades or corn removers.
- Do not wait and watch a wound that is not improving — with diabetes, waiting is the risky option.
Tips & Warnings
Practical tips
- Keep a small mirror where you wash — checking your soles takes less than a minute once it is a habit.
- Keep a pair of clean indoor shoes by the door, so your feet stay protected at home too.
- Protect your heels and feet from pressure in bed, especially if you are unwell or recovering from an operation.
- Tell your diabetes team about any foot problem at your regular visits, even if it seems minor.
- Have your feet professionally checked at least once a year, even when nothing feels wrong.
Warnings: get medical care the same day
With diabetes, do not wait for a foot problem to declare itself. Contact your medical team the same day — or go to urgent care — if you notice any of the following:
- A cut, blister, or wound that is not healing.
- Redness that is spreading, or red streaks going up the foot.
- New pain, or pain that is getting worse — but remember that reduced feeling can hide pain, so a painless wound can still be serious.
- A change in colour, or skin that looks blue, dark, or black.
- New swelling in the foot or ankle.
- Fever, chills, or feeling generally unwell.
A wound that is not healing, spreading redness, or new pain should never be left to the next routine appointment. Early treatment protects the foot; delay is what allows a small ulcer to become a deep infection.
What the surgical and vascular team does
Care is usually given by a team: your diabetes doctor, the surgeon, the vascular (blood vessel) specialist, wound-care nurses, and the footwear and offloading specialist. What the team does depends on the assessment, but it usually includes:
- Assessment: examining the wound, checking feeling and circulation in the foot, and tests or scans when needed.
- Cleaning the wound and removing dead tissue (debridement), so healthy tissue can heal.
- Dressings chosen for your wound, changed on a planned schedule.
- Offloading: taking pressure off the sore with special footwear, insoles, or a boot or cast — a wound cannot heal while it keeps being stood on.
- Antibiotics when there is infection.
- Referral to the vascular team if circulation is poor, to assess whether improving blood flow can help the foot heal.
In more advanced cases, surgery may be needed to remove infected tissue or correct a deformity that keeps causing ulcers. The aim of treatment is to heal the foot and prevent amputation wherever possible — but no honest team can promise a particular result. The earlier treatment starts, the more options remain open.
Habits that protect your feet
- Keep your blood sugar as well controlled as you can — it supports healing and lowers infection risk.
- Do not smoke. Smoking narrows the blood vessels further and slows healing.
- Wear the footwear or insoles prescribed for you every day, not only when you go out.
- Keep your follow-up appointments even when your feet feel fine — problems are often found before they are felt.
Questions patients ask
My feet feel numb. Is that dangerous?
Reduced feeling (neuropathy) is one of the main reasons diabetic foot problems become serious: injuries happen without pain, so they are noticed late. Numb feet need more protection, not less — daily checks matter most when feeling is reduced.
Can I walk barefoot at home if the floor is clean?
No. Most foot injuries in diabetes happen at home, from stepping on something small or stubbing a toe — and with reduced feeling you may not notice. Wear protective footwear indoors as well as outdoors.
I have a small sore. Can I just keep an eye on it?
A sore in a person with diabetes should be assessed promptly, not watched at home. Many ulcers look small on the surface while the problem underneath is larger. Early assessment is what keeps a small sore small.
Read also
If you are preparing for an operation, read our companion guide, Diabetes and Surgery: Keeping Your Sugar Safe, which explains sugar control, medicines, and fasting around surgery.
This guide is general education and does not replace medical assessment. Decisions about your feet are made after examination and assessment by your treating team.
References
1. Schaper NC, van Netten JJ, Apelqvist J, et al. Practical guidelines on the prevention and management of diabetes-related foot disease (IWGDF 2023 update). Diabetes Metab Res Rev. 2024;40(3):e3657.
2. Bus SA, Sacco ICN, Monteiro-Soares M, et al. Guidelines on the prevention of foot ulcers in persons with diabetes (IWGDF 2023 update). Diabetes Metab Res Rev. 2024;40(3):e3651.
3. First Gulf regional guidelines for diabetic foot ulcers. Reported in Surgical Weekly, Issue No. 1, 1 November 2026. PubMed PMID: 42847475.
4. Elalfy T. From Clinic to Recovery (First Edition, 2026), Chapter 20: Diabetes and Diabetes Medicines, Including SGLT2 Inhibitors.
Full guide written by Dr. Tamer Elalfy