Diabetic Foot Care: How to Protect Your Feet, a Hyderabad Specialist's Guide
In diabetes, a small foot problem you cannot feel can turn into a serious wound. The good news is that most of it is preventable with a simple daily routine and the right habits. This is a practical guide, written for life in India, from a UK-trained foot specialist.
WhatsApp for a Foot Check Call +91 7207904418
See a foot specialist promptly if you notice any cut, blister, crack, colour change, swelling, or a wound that is not healing, or new numbness, tingling, or burning in the feet. In a diabetic foot, a small problem can worsen fast, and early care is what prevents it. Call +91 7207904418.
Key points
- Diabetes damages the nerves and circulation in the feet, so injuries go unfelt and heal slowly.
- A daily check catches problems while they are still small and easy to treat.
- Never walking barefoot is one of the single most protective habits, especially in India.
- Good blood sugar control is foot care too, because high sugar is what damages the feet.
- An annual specialist foot screening finds hidden nerve and circulation loss before a wound forms.
Why diabetic feet are at risk
Two things make the diabetic foot vulnerable. High blood sugar over years damages the nerves, so the feet lose the ability to feel pain, heat, and pressure. A stone in the sandal, a tight strap, or a small cut goes unnoticed. At the same time, diabetes narrows the arteries feeding the foot, so wounds heal slowly and fight infection poorly. Put together, a minor injury a person cannot feel can quietly become a wound, then an infection. Prevention works because it catches that injury before the person would ever notice it.
Your daily foot-care routine
This takes two minutes and is the core of protecting a diabetic foot. Make it part of the same time each day, at night before bed works well.
Check both feet
Look at the tops, soles, heels, and between every toe for cuts, blisters, cracks, redness, swelling, or colour change. If you cannot see the soles, use a mirror or ask a family member. A numb foot will not warn you, so your eyes do the job your nerves cannot.
Wash with lukewarm water
Use mild soap and lukewarm, never hot, water. Test the temperature with your elbow or a thermometer, not your foot, because a numb foot cannot judge heat and can be scalded. Do not soak for long, as it dries the skin.
Dry carefully, especially between the toes
Pat dry and dry thoroughly between the toes. Moisture trapped there softens the skin and invites fungal infection and cracks, a common start to trouble in a warm, humid climate.
Moisturise the skin, not between the toes
Rub a thin layer of moisturiser on the tops and soles to prevent cracked, dry skin. Do not apply it between the toes, where extra moisture causes problems.
Trim nails straight across
Cut toenails straight across and gently file the edges, not down into the corners, which causes ingrown toenails. If your vision or reach is poor, or nails are thick, let a family member or the clinic do it. Never cut corns or calluses yourself.
Check inside your footwear
Before wearing, run a hand inside each shoe or sandal for grit, a torn lining, or a small stone. A numb foot will not feel it, and it only takes one walk to start a wound.
Advice for daily life in India
Most foot-care guides are written for cold Western homes. These are the habits that matter most here, and where most of our patients get caught out.
- Do not walk barefoot at home. Bare feet on a hard floor is the commonest cause of an unnoticed cut or burn. Wear soft, closed indoor slippers with a proper sole from the moment you get out of bed.
- Temples, mosques, and religious visits. Where footwear must be removed, wear thick socks, go when the floor is cool, and check your feet carefully afterwards. Hot stone or marble in summer can burn a numb foot without any pain.
- Hot floors, sand, and pavements. Never test bathwater, hot tiles, sand, or pavement with a bare diabetic foot. Sun-baked surfaces in summer cause burns that are only noticed later.
- Monsoon and wet feet. Keep feet dry. Wet, warm conditions cause fungal infection and softened skin between the toes. Change out of wet footwear quickly and dry between the toes.
- Footwear habits. Open chappals and thin flip-flops leave the foot exposed and let straps rub. Choose closed or well-strapped footwear with a soft footbed, and break in new footwear slowly, an hour at a time, checking for red pressure marks.
- Home remedies and roadside pedicure. Avoid cutting corns, using acid corn-cap plasters, or roadside pedicures. These cause many of the wounds we treat. Let a professional handle corns, calluses, and thick nails.
Choosing the right footwear
Footwear is where prevention is won or lost, and it is where a podiatrist's biomechanics training matters. Choose closed or well-strapped footwear with a soft, cushioned footbed and enough room in the toe box, no pointed toes or high heels. Buy shoes in the evening when feet are slightly larger, and always check both shoes fit, since foot sizes differ. If you have nerve damage, a foot deformity, or a healed previous ulcer, you need therapeutic footwear or custom insoles that redistribute pressure away from the high-risk spots. This is not a luxury, it is what stops the next ulcer, and it is fitted after a foot assessment.
What to avoid
- Walking barefoot, indoors or outdoors, ever.
- Hot water bottles, heating pads, or testing hot water with the foot. A numb foot burns without warning.
- Cutting your own corns or calluses, or using medicated corn-cap plasters and acids.
- Tight footwear, pointed toes, high heels, and new footwear worn all day before breaking in.
- Ignoring a small cut, blister, or colour change, waiting to see if it settles.
- Smoking, which further narrows the arteries feeding the feet.
When to get your feet screened
Every person with diabetes should have a professional foot screening at least once a year, and more often if there is nerve damage, poor circulation, a foot deformity, or a previous ulcer. Screening is painless and finds the hidden loss of sensation and circulation that a person cannot feel themselves, using tests like biothesiometry for nerve function and a vascular Doppler for blood flow. Finding an at-risk foot early means it can be protected with the right footwear before a wound ever forms. Read more about diabetic foot screening, and if you already have numbness or tingling, about diabetic neuropathy. Because high sugar is the root cause, controlling it is foot care too, so know your HbA1c and average blood sugar and read about type 2 diabetes management.
Nearly every diabetic foot wound I treat began with something small and preventable, a barefoot step at home, a hot temple floor, a stone in a chappal, a corn cut at home. The patient felt nothing, so nothing was done, until it became a wound. Daily checking and never going barefoot are not fussy advice. In a foot that cannot feel, they are what save the foot.
Dr. V. Rajasekhar, Consultant Podiatrist and Foot-Ankle Surgeon, Vivekananda Hospital, Begumpet
Why choose Vivekananda Hospital for diabetic foot care
Prevention in the diabetic foot is a podiatric discipline, understanding how a foot loads, where it breaks down, and how to protect it, not just treating wounds after they form. Dr. V. Rajasekhar is a podiatrist and foot-ankle surgeon with UK postgraduate training in foot and ankle biomechanics and 32 years of experience.
UK-trained foot specialistPrevention and footwear guided by real biomechanics training, not generic advice.
Full foot screening on siteBiothesiometry for nerve damage, vascular Doppler, and foot pressure analysis.
Custom therapeutic footwearInsoles and footwear fitted to redistribute pressure for high-risk feet.
Diabetes care in one buildingYour blood sugar, kidney, and heart care managed alongside your feet.
Important: This page is for information and education. It does not replace a personal foot assessment. If you have diabetes, get your feet checked by a professional, and see a specialist promptly for any wound, colour change, or new numbness rather than waiting.
Frequently Asked Questions
How often should a person with diabetes check their feet?
Every single day. Check the tops, soles, heels, and between the toes for cuts, blisters, cracks, redness, swelling, or colour change, using a mirror or a family member's help if you cannot see the soles. Because nerve damage means an injury may not be felt, a daily look is what catches a problem while it is still small and easy to treat.
Can I walk barefoot at home if I have diabetes?
No. Walking barefoot at home is one of the commonest causes of an unnoticed cut or burn in a diabetic foot. Wear soft, closed indoor slippers with a proper sole from the moment you get out of bed. At temples or places where footwear must be removed, wear thick socks, go when the floor is cool, and check your feet carefully afterwards.
What kind of footwear is best for diabetic feet?
Closed or well-strapped footwear with a soft, cushioned footbed and a roomy toe box, no pointed toes or high heels. Buy in the evening when feet are slightly larger and break new footwear in slowly. If you have nerve damage, a deformity, or a healed ulcer, you need therapeutic footwear or custom insoles that redistribute pressure, fitted after a foot assessment.
How should I trim my toenails if I have diabetes?
Cut them straight across and gently file the edges, not down into the corners, which causes ingrown toenails. Do it in good light after washing, when nails are soft. If your vision or reach is poor, or the nails are thick, let a family member or the clinic do it. Never cut corns or calluses yourself, and avoid roadside pedicures.
Can I get a pedicure if I have diabetes?
Be cautious. Avoid roadside or salon pedicures that cut corns and calluses or use sharp blades, since a small nick can become a serious wound in a diabetic foot. A medical pedicure at a clinic, or care from a podiatrist, is far safer. If you want corns, calluses, or thick nails managed, let a professional trained in the diabetic foot do it.
Should I moisturise between my toes?
No. Moisturise the tops and soles to prevent dry, cracked skin, but not between the toes. Extra moisture trapped between the toes softens the skin and invites fungal infection and cracks, which can become an entry point for infection. After washing, dry between the toes thoroughly and leave them dry.
How often do diabetic feet need a professional screening?
At least once a year for everyone with diabetes, and more often if you have nerve damage, poor circulation, a foot deformity, or a previous ulcer. A screening is painless and uses tests like biothesiometry and a vascular Doppler to find the hidden loss of sensation and circulation you cannot feel, so an at-risk foot can be protected before a wound forms.
When should I see a foot specialist urgently?
See a specialist promptly for any cut, blister, crack, colour change, swelling, or a wound that is not healing, or for new numbness, tingling, or burning in the feet. In a diabetic foot these can worsen quickly, so do not wait to see if they settle. Same-day care is needed if a wound has spreading redness, pus, a bad smell, black tissue, or fever.
Protect the Foot Before It Is Ever a Wound.
Get a painless foot screening and personalised prevention plan from our UK-trained foot specialist in Begumpet, with your diabetes managed in the same building.
Address: Vivekananda Hospital, 6-3-871/A, Greenlands Road, Beside CM Camp Office, Begumpet, Hyderabad 500016. Podiatry OPD with Dr. V. Rajasekhar: Mon, Wed, Fri 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM; Tue, Sat 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM.
Also serving: Ameerpet, Somajiguda, Punjagutta, Prakash Nagar, Secunderabad, SR Nagar, Banjara Hills
About the Specialist
Dr. V. Rajasekhar (MBBS Guntur Medical College, Diploma in Orthopaedics JJM Medical College Bangalore, MSc Orthopaedics Cardiff University UK, MPhil Foot & Ankle Salford University UK) is a Consultant Podiatrist and Foot-Ankle Surgeon at Vivekananda Hospital, Begumpet, with over 32 years of experience. He is a member of the Diabetic Foot Society of India (DFSI) and the International Foot and Ankle Biomechanics group (IFAB), with UK postgraduate training in foot and ankle biomechanics and diabetic foot care.
Medical disclaimer: This article is for general health information and education only. It is not a diagnosis and does not replace an in-person foot assessment. If you have diabetes, have your feet checked by a professional, and seek care promptly for any wound, colour change, or new numbness. In an emergency, call +91 7207904418 or visit the nearest emergency department.
References: American Diabetes Association, foot care | IWGDF guidelines on prevention | Diabetic foot care, StatPearls, NCBI