Looking after your foot wound if you have diabetes

Image advising people with diabetes to get professional help if they have a foot wound

Having diabetes means that you are much higher risk of developing foot wounds or ulcers. If you do not get these foot wounds seen by a health care professional, (even if it is a small graze or blister), it may lead to infections in your feet and, at worst, amputations of your toes, feet or legs.

This is because raised blood glucose levels, also known as blood sugar, can damage the nerves in your feet. This means you may not feel when your feet are injured and need attention.

Diabetes can also affect your circulation, which can lead to you getting less blood down to your feet. This may slow down or stop your foot cuts and sores from healing.

It is very important that you talk to your podiatrist, Diabetes nurse or GP, if you have a wound on your feet and your blood sugars are high. If you do not ask for help to bring your blood sugar levels down, your foot wound may take much longer to heal.

If you are a smoker, it is also very important to try to stop or cut down your smoking, as this can also slow down or stop your foot cuts and sores from healing.

Where to see one of our podiatrists

If you have a wound on your foot and you have diabetes, you may be seen in a podiatry community clinic:

If you live in Bradford – Bradford Royal Infirmary Foot Clinic – 01274 364056 / 364314
If you live in Airedale or Craven – Airedale General Hospital Foot Clinic – 01535 294390

What to do if you feel unwell and have a foot wound

If you have a foot wound and you feel cold, shivery, shaky and unwell, similar to how you would feel if you were getting flu, you need to phone the podiatry number or your GP immediately. If it is out of hours, then you need to phone the Out of Hours GP Service or go immediately to A&E as you may be at risk of developing sepsis.

It is particularly important to do this if you foot and/or leg have become more red, swollen and painful and you can see red marks spreading up your foot or leg and your lymph nodes at the back of your knees, groin, neck or armpits are sore.

Sepsis – what you need to know if you have a foot wound

Sepsis is a life-threatening condition that arises when the body’s response to an infection injures its own tissues and organs. Find out about the symptoms of sepsis from the NHS website and learn more about sepsis from the UK Sepsis Trust.