Diabetic Foot Exam

People with diabetes have a high risk for many types of foot health problems. A diabetic foot exam can help find problems that can lead to serious infection and amputation (surgery to remove all or part of your foot) if they're not found and treated early. Diabetic foot problems can happen over time if high blood glucose (blood sugar) damages the nerves and blood vessels in your feet.

Nerve damage from diabetes is called diabetic neuropathy. It can make your feet feel numb or tingly. It can also cause you to lose feeling in your feet.

If you don't feel pain in your feet, you may not notice a callus, blister, or cut on your foot. Without treatment, these types of common foot wounds can become ulcers (open sores) that can get infected. If you have diabetes, a foot sore or infection may not heal well, even with treatment.

That's because diabetes can damage blood vessels and cause poor blood flow in your feet. If an infection doesn't get better, tissue in your foot may die. This is called gangrene.

If you have gangrene or an infection that won't heal, your toe, foot, or part of your leg may need to be amputated to prevent infection from spreading and to save your life. Fortunately, you can help keep your feet healthy by: Getting regular diabetic foot exams; Caring for your feet at home; Keeping your blood sugar within a range that's healthy for you;

Why this test is done

People with diabetes usually need to have a complete diabetic foot exam at least once a year to help prevent serious infections. But if you've had foot problems from diabetes, you may need to have a complete foot exam more often.

A complete foot exam may be done by your primary care provider or a foot doctor (podiatrist). A foot doctor specializes in keeping feet healthy and treating foot diseases. Ask the provider you see for foot care to tell you how often you need a complete foot exam.

It's also a good idea to ask your primary care provider to do a quick check of your feet at every health care visit you have during the year. If you're meeting your diabetes treatment goals, your provider will probably want to see you at least twice a year to check your health and review your self-care plan. Make sure to have your feet checked, too.

If you have any of these foot symptoms, contact your provider right away:

• A blister, cut, bruise, or other foot injury that doesn't start to heal after a few days.
• Skin on your foot that is red, warm, or painful. These are signs of a possible infection.
• A callus with dried blood inside it. This may be the first sign of a wound under the callus.
• A foot infection that becomes black and smelly. This may be a sign of gangrene.

How to prepare

You don't need any special preparations for a diabetic foot exam.

Other names for this test

comprehensive foot exam