Diabetes and Your Feet: Why Regular Podiatry Care Could Save Your Foot
We tend to only think about our feet when they hurt. But if you’re living with diabetes, your feet deserve more attention — a small cut or callus isn’t always just a small cut or callus, which is exactly why diabetic foot care in West Leederville is worth making time for.
Diabetes quietly changes how your feet feel, heal, and fight off infection. High blood sugar can damage the nerves in your feet and slow the blood flow that keeps them healthy. The good news: most serious foot problems are preventable when you know what to look for and get the right podiatry support early.
Why Diabetes Puts Your Feet at Risk
Your feet work hard, and being a long way from your heart means they already have to work harder for good blood supply than most of your body. Diabetes adds two extra challenges.
Neuropathy: when your feet go quiet
Peripheral neuropathy is nerve damage caused by high blood sugar, and it usually starts in the feet and toes. The nerves that normally warn you something’s wrong — a sharp stone, a hot bath, a blister rubbing in your shoe — stop sending those signals clearly. You might feel tingling, numbness, or nothing at all. That loss of sensation is the real danger, because a wound you can’t feel is a wound you won’t tend to.
Poor circulation: slower healing, slower defence
Diabetes can also narrow and stiffen the blood vessels, reducing oxygen-rich blood flow to your feet. Less blood means slower healing and a weaker immune response — so a small nick can turn into an infection that won’t settle.
Common Foot Problems to Watch For
For most people, a blister heals in a few days. With diabetes, the same blister can linger and deepen — these are the conditions we see most often in the podiatry clinic.
Foot ulcers
A foot ulcer is an open sore that won’t heal — usually starting from something minor like a callus, a rubbing shoe, or a crack in dry skin. Because neuropathy hides the early warning signs and poor circulation slows repair, ulcers can form and grow without you realising. Around 10,000 Australians are hospitalised each year for diabetes-related foot ulcers, and many end in amputation — yet most are preventable with early, consistent foot care.
Infections and slow-healing wounds
When a foot wound becomes infected, it can spread quickly. With reduced circulation and sensation, what looks like a small scratch can hide a deeper problem underneath. Redness, warmth, swelling, or unusual discharge are all signs to act on fast.
Warning Signs You Shouldn’t Ignore
Get to know your feet and check them daily. If you notice any of the following, book in with a podiatrist rather than waiting it out:
- Tingling, burning, or numbness in the feet or toes
- Cuts, blisters, or cracks that haven’t healed within a few days
- Redness, swelling, or warmth — especially around a wound
- Changes in skin colour or temperature
- Thickened, discoloured nails, or corns and calluses that keep returning
- New or unusual pain in the feet or legs
Daily Foot Care Habits That Make a Difference
Small, consistent habits are your best defence. Here’s a routine worth sticking to:
- Check your feet every day — tops, soles, and between the toes (use a mirror or ask for help if bending is tricky).
- Wash your feet daily in warm (not hot) water, and dry them thoroughly, especially between the toes.
- Moisturise to prevent cracks, but avoid the skin between the toes, where trapped moisture breeds infection.
- Trim nails straight across and file sharp edges — and let your podiatrist handle anything tricky.
- Wear well-fitting shoes and clean, dry socks, and never go barefoot, even indoors.
- Never treat corns, calluses, or ingrown nails yourself — leave them to your podiatrist.
Why Regular Podiatry Checks Matter
You can’t always feel the early signs of trouble — that’s the whole problem with neuropathy. A podiatrist can. In a diabetes foot check we assess your circulation, test sensation in your feet, and examine your skin and nails for anything brewing beneath the surface.
The goal is simple: catch problems while they’re small and easy to fix, long before they become serious. Diabetes Australia recommends a thorough foot exam at least once a year — and more often if you have reduced sensation, poor circulation, or a history of ulcers.
Diabetic Foot Care in West Leederville
If you’re looking for diabetic foot care in West Leederville, our podiatry team at Peak Performance Institute is here to help, right on Cambridge Street in the heart of West Leederville. Whether you need a routine annual assessment, help managing a wound, or advice on footwear and nail care, we’ll work with you — and your GP and diabetes team — to keep your feet in top shape.
When to Seek Urgent Care
Some things can’t wait for your next appointment. Contact your podiatrist or GP the same day — or head to emergency — if you notice:
- A wound, blister, or ulcer that’s getting bigger, deeper, or darker
- Redness or swelling that’s spreading up the foot or leg
- Pus, discharge, or a bad smell coming from a wound
- A foot that suddenly feels cold, pale, or unusually painful
- Fever or chills alongside any foot problem
If you’re living with diabetes in Perth’s inner west, don’t leave your feet to chance. Call Peak Performance Institute on (08) 9381 1265 or visit us at 144 Cambridge Street, West Leederville, to book a podiatry assessment. It’s one of the simplest things you can do to protect your feet — and your independence.
References
- Diabetes Australia — Diabetes and your feet. https://www.diabetesaustralia.com.au/living-with-diabetes/preventing-complications/foot-care/
- Better Health Channel (Victorian Government) — Diabetes – foot care. https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/diabetes-foot-care
- Medical Journal of Australia — Australian Diabetes Foot Network: management of diabetes-related foot ulceration. https://www.mja.com.au/journal/2012/197/4/australian-diabetes-foot-network-management-diabetes-related-foot-ulceration
