Diabetes can be dangerous to your feet—even a small cut could have serious consequences. Diabetes may cause nerve damage that takes away the feeling in your feet. Diabetes may also reduce blood flow to the feet, making it harder to heal an injury or resist infection. Because of these problems, you might not notice a pebble in your shoe—so you could develop a blister, then a sore, then a stubborn infection that might cause amputation of your foot or leg.

• Canes
• Crutches
• Medical equipment

The foot is especially affected by diabetes because:

• Diabetes damages the nerves (damage can occur to the foot and not be detected) - this is called peripheral neuropathy.
• Diabetes also affect the circulation. Poor circulation can affect the ability of the body to heal when damage occurs.
• Those with diabetes are more prone to infection - the body's processes that normally fight infection respond slower and often have trouble getting to infections due to the poor circulation.
• Diabetes can also affect the joints, making them stiffer
• Other diabetes complications that can also affect the foot, for example, kidney disease (affects proteins that are involved in wound healing) and eye disease (can't see the foot to check for damage).
  

Treatment and Prevention
Footwear and orthotics play an important role in diabetic footcare. Orthotics designed with Plastazote foam, the #1 material for protecting the insensitive diabetic foot, are usually recommended. Plastazote is a material designed to accommodate pressure hot spots by conforming to heat and pressure. By customizing to the foot, Plastazote provides the comfort and protection needed in diabetic footcare. Footwear constructed with Plastazote is also recommended frequently for the diabetic patient. Diabetic footwear should also provide the following protective benefits:

• High, wide toe box (high and wide space in the toe area)
• Removable insoles for fitting flexibility and the option to insert orthotics if necessary.
• Rocker Soles designed to reduce pressure in the areas of the foot most susceptible to pain, most notably the ball-of-the-foot.
• Firm Heel Counters for support and stability.

If you are a diabetic, you should be particularly alert to any problems you may be having with your feet. It is very important for diabetics with neuropathy to take necessary precautions to prevent injury and keep their feet healthy. If you have diabetes and are experiencing a foot problem, immediately consult your foot doctor.