5 Essential Winter Foot Care Tips When You Have Diabetes

If you have diabetes, foot care is especially important. What precautions do you need to prevent diabetes-related foot problems during the winter?

Updated November 21, 2024

By Beverly Toporowski, MD, Primary Care Physician, Virtua Primary Care

Foot care is an important part of managing diabetes. In summer, it’s important to avoid walking barefoot to reduce the chances of cutting or burning the bottom of your feet. During the colder months, you need to make sure to keep your feet warm and dry.

Follow these five tips to help prevent foot problems this winter:

Choose the right footwear. Cold temperatures combined with poor circulation can make people with diabetes susceptible to frostbite. Select roomy shoes and boots that provide warmth and protect against rain, snow, ice, and sleet. Also, wear moisture-wicking socks to keep your feet warm and dry.

Remove wet socks and shoes right away. Moisture that collects between your socks and feet can form bacteria and lead to an infection. Use a towel to dry your feet, paying extra attention to the area between your toes.

Avoid warming devices on your feet. Electric blankets, heated shoe inserts, and heating pads sure feel good. But if you have nerve damage in your feet, called diabetic neuropathy, you may not be aware when something is too hot and suffer burns. Also, be cautious when using a hot tub or warming your feet near a fire or space heater.

Moisturize, moisturize, moisturize. Low temperatures, dry air, and indoor heating strip skin of its natural oils and make you susceptible to cracks, corns, and calluses that can lead to hard-to-treat infections. Use lotion on your feet daily. Apply smaller amounts between your toes to avoid fungal and bacterial infections.

Examine your feet daily. Check for sores, cuts, bruises, and toenail changes. Use a mirror to look at the bottom of your feet if you need to. Call your health care provider if you have cuts or breaks in the skin, have an ingrown nail, or if your foot becomes swollen, red, or painful.

As you do all year round, work with your provider to keep your blood sugar in your target range. That means eating a healthy diet, exercising, managing stress, and taking insulin and other medicines as directed.

Find a Diabetes Specialist

Virtua’s endocrinologists, certified diabetes care and education specialists, and other clinicians are located across South Jersey, so you never have to travel far to get the care you need. Find a diabetes specialist near you.