The one-minute diabetic foot check, step by step

March 9, 2026 · 3 min read · Foot and Ankle Associates

Check your feet once a day, at the same time each day. Look at the top, the sole, the heel and between every toe for cuts, blisters, redness, swelling, dark patches or anything warm. Call your podiatrist the same day you find something new rather than waiting to see whether it clears.

Why looking replaces feeling

Diabetes can damage the small nerves that carry sensation from the feet. When that happens, the ordinary warning system stops working. A stone in the shoe, a blister from a new pair, a burn from a heater: all of these normally announce themselves immediately through pain.

Without that signal, an injury can continue for days. The foot keeps being walked on, the skin breaks down further, and what began as a small rub becomes a wound that is slow to heal because circulation is often reduced at the same time. The daily look substitutes your eyes for the nerves.

The check itself

Pick a fixed moment, usually when you take your socks off at night, so it becomes habit rather than something you remember occasionally.

Look at the top of the foot, then the sole, then the heel, then between each toe individually. If you cannot see the bottom of your foot, place a mirror on the floor and hold your foot above it, or ask someone to look for you. Not being able to see it is a reason to get help, not a reason to skip it.

You are looking for anything that was not there yesterday: a cut, a blister, redness, swelling, a dark or discoloured patch, cracked skin, or an area that feels warmer than the rest of the foot. Warmth without an obvious cause is worth reporting on its own.

The habits that go with it

Wash and dry carefully, especially between the toes, where trapped moisture breaks skin down. Moisturise the skin of the foot but never between the toes.

Shake out your shoes before putting them on. A small stone or a fold in a sock can do real damage over an afternoon when you cannot feel it.

Never walk barefoot, indoors or outdoors. Most of the injuries we see started on a kitchen floor or a carpet, not on a hike.

What never to do at home

Do not cut corns or calluses with any blade, and do not let anyone without training do it either. Do not use over-the-counter acid treatments for warts or corns, which can burn through skin that is already fragile.

Do not use heating pads, hot water bottles, or soak your feet in hot water. If sensation is reduced you cannot judge the temperature accurately, and burns from this are common and serious.

Do not dig out the corner of an ingrown nail. That is a quick, routine fix in the office and a frequent cause of infection when attempted at home.

When to call the same day

Any open sore, blister, cut or dark patch, however small, and even if it does not hurt. Spreading redness, warmth, pus, a bad smell, red streaks running up the leg, or a fever. A foot that has turned pale, blue or cold.

These are not wait-and-see findings. Early treatment of a diabetic foot wound changes the outcome substantially, which is why we treat same-day calls about them as a priority.

Common questions

How often should someone with diabetes see a podiatrist?

At least once a year for a full assessment of circulation and sensation, and more often if you have reduced feeling, poor circulation, foot deformity or any history of ulcers. Your own daily check sits between those visits.

What if I find something but it does not hurt?

Call anyway. In a foot with reduced sensation, the absence of pain says nothing about how serious a wound is. Painless wounds are the ones most likely to be left too long.

Can I cut my own toenails if I have diabetes?

Many people can, cutting straight across and not into the corners. If you cannot see or reach your feet easily, have reduced sensation, or take blood thinners, have it done professionally instead.