- Athlete’s foot . Athlete’s foot is a fungus that causes itching, redness, and cracking.
- Fungal infection of nails.
- Calluses.
- Corns.
- Blisters.
- Bunions A bunion forms when your big toe bends toward your second toe.
- Dry Skin.
- Diabetic ulcers.
- Ingrown toenails.
- Plantar warts.
Complications of Diabetic Foot Problems
- Changes in skin color.
- Changes in skin temperature.
- Swelling in the foot or ankle.
- Pain in the legs.
- Open sores on the feet that are slow to heal or are draining.
- Ingrown toenails or toenails infected with fungus.
- Corns or calluses.
- Dry cracks in the skin, especially around the heel.
- Foot odor that is unusual or won’t go away.
A small cut or wound can lead to infections. Nerve and blood vessel damage, along immune system problems, make them more likely. Most infections happen in wounds previously treated with antibiotics. Infections can be treated with antibiotics. Severe cases may require treatment in a hospital.
Sometimes infections eat into bones or tissue and create a pocket of pus called an abscess. The common treatment is to drain the abscess. It may require removal of some bone or tissue, but newer methods, like oxygen therapy, are less invasive.
Diabetes affects the blood vessels that supply your fingers and toes. When blood flow is cut off, tissue can die. Treatment is usually oxygen therapy or surgery to remove the affected area.
Nerve damage can weaken the muscles in your feet and lead to problems like hammertoes, claw feet, prominent metatarsal heads (ends of the bones below your toes), and pes cavus, or a high arch that won’t flatten when you put weight on it.
Diabetes can weaken the bones in your foot so much that they break. Nerve damage can lessen sensation and prevent you from realizing it. You keep walking on broken bones and your foot will change shape. It might look like your arch has collapsed into a rocker shape.
Problems with blood flow and nerves make it more likely for people with diabetes to get a foot injury and not realize it until infection sets in. When an infection can’t be healed, creates an abscess, or if low blood flow leads to gangrene, amputation is often the best treatment.