When you have diabetes, it’s vital to treat foot injuries right away. Even minor wounds can turn into serious foot ulcers, which can cost you a foot — or an entire leg — if you don’t care for them quickly and thoroughly. These easy steps can prevent problems down the road.

Common Causes

If you have diabetes, you may get a kind of nerve damage that stops the feeling in your feet. Doctors call this neuropathy. If you can’t feel your feet, you may not know you’re hurt, and a small cut or sore can turn into something bigger.

Or you might have poor blood flow to your feet, which makes it hard for even minor cuts to heal.