The headline “your feet are a blood sugar meter” is misleading. Your feet cannot measure your blood glucose, and foot symptoms alone cannot diagnose diabetes. However, diabetes can affect the nerves, skin, circulation, and ability of wounds to heal, so certain foot changes deserve attention.
12 foot-related symptoms to know
- Tingling or pins-and-needles
- Burning sensations
- Numbness or reduced ability to feel pain
- Sharp or shooting pain
- Unusual sensitivity to touch
- Feeling unusually cold in the feet
- Dry, cracked skin
- Changes in skin color
- Swelling
- Blisters or sores that don’t heal normally
- Frequent fungal infections, including athlete’s foot or toenail infections
- Calluses, ulcers, or recurring areas of pressure/injury
These problems aren’t specific to diabetes. Nerve disorders, circulation problems, footwear, infections, nutritional deficiencies, and other conditions can cause similar symptoms.
Why diabetes can affect the feet
Persistently high blood glucose can damage peripheral nerves (diabetic neuropathy) and contribute to blood-vessel disease. Reduced sensation means a person may not notice a blister, cut, or burn, allowing a minor injury to become a serious infection.
If you have diabetes, checking your feet regularly is important. Look for cuts, blisters, redness, swelling, discoloration, or sores, and have persistent abnormalities assessed by a healthcare professional.
When to get help
A new foot ulcer, spreading redness, warmth, swelling, pus, blackened tissue, or rapidly worsening pain requires prompt medical attention—particularly if you have diabetes.
And if you’re concerned that you might have diabetes, don’t rely on your feet for clues. An A1C or blood-glucose test is the appropriate way to check your blood sugar.
