Living with diabetes comes with daily routines, careful monitoring, and often, tough choices. Among all the organs diabetes can affect, your feet might not be the first thing that comes to mind. But they matter—a lot.
Diabetes can affect your nerves and circulation. When that happens, it becomes harder for your body to sense pain, heal small wounds, or fight infections. This is where podiatrists play a key role. A podiatrist is a health professional who focuses on foot and lower limb care. For someone with diabetes, they can make the difference between keeping their feet healthy and dealing with serious complications down the line can be significant.
Let’s break it down into simple terms: what really happens to diabetic feet, what signs to look for, and how podiatrists help manage the condition before it gets worse.
When blood sugar levels stay high for a long time, it affects the whole body. Two of the most common complications that impact the feet are:
This reduces your ability to feel pain, heat, or injury. You may step on a sharp object and not realise it, or wear shoes that are too tight without feeling discomfort.
Diabetes affects blood flow, especially to the legs and feet. This makes it harder for wounds to heal and increases the risk of infections.
Now combine both problems—numb feet that heal slowly—and you can see why a small blister or cut can quickly turn into a major issue if not treated properly.
Some foot problems might seem minor at first glance, but they carry more risk when you have diabetes. These include:
Each of these can become serious if not managed early. This is where regular podiatry care steps in.
A podiatrist doesn’t just trim toenails or remove hard skin. For diabetic patients, their work is clinical, preventative, and, in many cases, lifesaving.
Here’s what a podiatrist does to help manage diabetic foot conditions:
Podiatrists perform detailed inspections of your feet. They check for:
These checks help catch small problems early, before they turn into wounds or ulcers.
They carry out tests to see how well you can feel things in your feet. This includes using tools like monofilaments or tuning forks. It helps them figure out how much nerve damage (neuropathy) has already happened and how serious it is.
If you’re losing sensation, your podiatrist will suggest changes in your footwear and warn you to take extra care when walking barefoot, even indoors.
Trimming thick nails, removing hard skin, and dealing with fungal infections might sound like routine work. But when done professionally, it reduces the risk of cuts, pressure wounds, and infections. Never try to cut corns or thick nails at home. Podiatrists have sterile tools and the right technique to do it safely.
If you already have a foot ulcer or open wound, podiatrists work closely with nurses and doctors to manage the dressing, monitor infection, and ensure the wound is healing properly.
Some wounds may need special footwear or offloading techniques (like custom insoles or boots) to reduce pressure. The podiatrist plays a key role in guiding that process.
Diabetic feet often need extra care when it comes to shoes. Shoes that are too tight, too loose, or poorly shaped can rub, press, and eventually cause injury. A podiatrist may recommend:
This is perhaps one of the most valuable things a podiatrist can offer—simple, practical advice you can follow daily:
When people follow this advice regularly, they often avoid bigger complications entirely.
If you live with diabetes, seeing a podiatrist should be part of your regular health routine, just like going to the doctor for check-ups or the optometrist for your eyes.
You should book an appointment if:
Prevention is far easier—and less painful—than treatment after things go wrong.
Let’s say you get a blister from a new pair of shoes. If you’re not diabetic, it’s annoying but probably not serious. If you have diabetes and some nerve damage, you might not notice it until it’s infected. If blood flow is poor, healing is slow. An untreated wound could lead to a deeper infection, and even affect the bone. In worst cases, this leads to hospitalisation or amputation.
That’s not said to scare anyone. It’s to show that simple care and early help can prevent it all.
A podiatrist doesn’t just treat—they help keep these things from happening in the first place.
It depends on how high your risk is. In general:
Your podiatrist will assess your risk and tell you what schedule is best for you.
Podiatrists often work alongside your GP, diabetes nurse, and other specialists. They share records, test results, and progress. This team-based approach makes sure nothing is missed and you get the right treatment at the right time.
Even small foot issues can signal wider health concerns. By paying close attention to your feet, podiatrists often help spot early signs of serious problems, long before they become obvious.
Podiatrists play a vital role in helping people with diabetes keep their feet healthy. From early checks to urgent care, they help spot problems, treat them safely, and give advice that really works. It’s one of the simplest, most effective ways to protect yourself—just by keeping your feet in check.
At Norwest Podiatry, we are dedicated to delivering top-notch podiatry services in Auckland for people of all ages. Our New Zealand-trained and registered podiatrists are ACC Accredited and provide Procare (Diabetes Service) support, specializing in the assessment, diagnoses, and treatment of foot, ankle, knee, and lower leg conditions.
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