The UAE has one of the highest diabetes rates in the world — and feet are where diabetes causes
some of its most preventable damage. Up to 25% of people with diabetes will develop a foot ulcer
in their lifetime, yet the majority of serious complications can be avoided with simple daily habits
and regular professional care.
Why Diabetes Puts Your Feet at Risk
Two complications work together against your feet:
Peripheral neuropathy — elevated glucose gradually damages the nerves in your feet, reducing
your ability to feel pain, heat, and pressure. A blister, cut, or pebble in your shoe can go unnoticed
for days.
Peripheral arterial disease — diabetes narrows the blood vessels supplying your feet, so wounds
heal slowly and infections take hold more easily.
Combined, these mean small injuries can silently progress into ulcers and serious infections. This is
why prevention — not reaction — is the foundation of diabetic foot care.
Your Daily Foot Care Routine
- Inspect your feet every day. Check the tops, soles, between the toes, and around the nails
for cuts, blisters, redness, swelling, or colour changes. Use a mirror or ask a family member
for the soles. - Wash and dry thoroughly. Lukewarm water (test with your elbow, not your foot), mild
soap, and careful drying between the toes to prevent fungal infection. - Moisturize — but not between the toes. Dry, cracked skin invites infection; moist skin
between toes invites fungus. - Never walk barefoot. Indoors or out — including at the beach and around the pool, where
hot surfaces in the UAE summer can cause burns you may not feel. - Check your shoes before wearing them. Shake out sand, pebbles, and debris.
- Trim nails straight across, never into the corners. If you have neuropathy or vision
problems, have nails trimmed professionally.
Warning Signs That Need Same-Week Attention
- Any break in the skin that isn’t clearly healing within a few days
- Redness, warmth, or swelling in one area
- Discharge, odour, or a wound you can’t see the bottom of
- A new area of numbness, tingling, or burning
- Colour change in a toe (pale, blue, black)
- A foot that suddenly becomes red, hot, and swollen without a wound — this can signal
Charcot foot, a limb-threatening emergency
With diabetes, “wait and see” is the wrong approach. Early podiatry review turns most of these into
minor treatments rather than hospital admissions.
Professional Foot Screening: How Often?
International guidelines recommend a comprehensive diabetic foot assessment at least once a year
for everyone with diabetes — more often if you’re higher risk:
| Risk level | Findings | Recommended review |
| Low | Normal sensation and circulation | Annually |
| Moderate | Neuropathy or reduced circulation | Every 3–6 months |
| High | Neuropathy + deformity, or previous ulcer | Every 1–3 months |
A proper assessment includes monofilament and vibration testing for nerve function, pulse and
circulation checks, skin and nail review, footwear assessment, and pressure-point evaluation.
Footwear: Your First Line of Defence
Most diabetic foot ulcers start with pressure or friction from footwear. Choose shoes with a wide,
deep toe box, cushioned soles, no internal seams over pressure points, and secure fastening. Break
new shoes in gradually — one to two hours at a time. If you have deformities, previous ulcers, or
significant neuropathy, ask your podiatrist about medical-grade footwear and custom orthotics that
redistribute pressure away from high-risk areas.
The Team Approach
The best outcomes come from coordinated care: your podiatrist for foot screening, nail and skin
care, and pressure management; your physician for glucose control (every 1% reduction in HbA1c
meaningfully reduces complication risk); and prompt wound care whenever skin breaks down.
