06/11/2026
Check your socks before you put them on, especially if you are diabetic.
In my practice, I always turn my clients socks inside out and shake the lint out before assisting them to put them back on after treatment. Imagine my surprise when out popped 3 hair ties. This could be dangerous for someone with loss of protective sensation, not only could these cause a pressure sore, but they could also wrap around a toe and cut off blood supply.
The problem lies when there is a loss of protective sensation (LOPS). Imagine you are walking and you feel a rock in your shoe. We have all been there, you have to stop and immediately remove that rock, it hurts and you cannot take another step. But for someone with neuropathy and LOPS they might not feel that rock and continue to walk with it in their shoe all day. If it’s not removed from the shoe, they may put the shoe on an walk on it all day tomorrow too! This is how diabetic ulcers can happen.
I cringe every time I hear ‘It wasn’t hurting me so I was not worried.’ NO! That’s exactly WHY we should be worried! I always tell my clients ‘pain is a gift, it tells us there is a problem we need to correct.’ When we are not able to feel pain in our feet, that does not mean we do not have a problem, that means we need to be extra careful and use our other senses.’
📍 Look into your shoes before you put them on. It’s amazing the things that can fall into a shoe.
📍 Feel inside your shoes, sometimes a rough seam can rub the skin and cause an ulcer.
📍 Watch for signs of redness and irritation, these are clues that your shoes may causing a problem.
📍 Remember, as a diabetic you should never break in a shoe that does not fit. No matter the cost of the shoe. Suddenly the $200 hit for another new pair of shoes seems trivial when you could be faced with a non healing wound, daily dressing changes and a possible amputation.
📍 Use a mirror to check the bottom of your feet daily. (Place on floor and hover your foot over or use a mirror with an extendable handle)
📍 Wear white or light coloured socks. This is not about dye, it’s because if you take off a white sock and notice a blood or drainag stain this could be a cue to look at your feet and find the source. However, if you take off a black sock, you might not see the drainage stain and miss the cue to check your feet.
📍 If you have a sore on your foot or lower leg that has not healed within 2 weeks, see your doctor ASAP. Remember ‘Time is tissue’ when it come to treating diabetic wounds.
📍 And don’t forget to check your socks before you put them on!
