The idea that “your feet are a blood sugar meter” is a popular way of describing how diabetes can affect the feet, but your feet cannot measure your blood sugar. However, changes in your feet can sometimes be warning signs of poorly controlled diabetes, especially because high blood sugar over time can damage nerves and blood vessels.
Possible diabetes-related foot symptoms include:
- Numbness or reduced feeling in the feet or toes (diabetic neuropathy)
- Tingling, burning, or “pins and needles” sensations
- Foot pain or unusual sensitivity
- Slow-healing cuts, blisters, or sores
- Frequent foot infections
- Dry, cracked skin (especially with reduced sweating from nerve damage)
- Changes in foot color or temperature
- Swelling in the feet or ankles
- Muscle weakness or balance problems
- Recurring fungal infections (such as athlete’s foot or toenail fungus)
- Foot ulcers or wounds that do not improve
- Cold feet or poor circulation symptoms
Other common diabetes symptoms include:
- increased thirst,
- frequent urination,
- unexplained weight loss,
- increased hunger,
- fatigue,
- blurred vision.
If someone has a new foot wound, blackened skin, spreading redness, severe swelling, fever, or sudden loss of sensation, they should seek medical care promptly.
The most reliable way to know if blood sugar is high is through testing, such as fasting blood glucose or HbA1c, not by checking foot symptoms alone.
