Everyone with diabetes should have an annual foot check. Your foot check is part of your annual review, which means you should have it as part of your diabetes care and it's free on the NHS. This is because you’re more likely to have serious foot problems and these can lead to amputations.
Going to your foot checks, also called foot screening, and knowing what to look out for could prevent this from happening.
In most cases, serious foot problems can be prevented. You can help do this by checking your feet yourself every day, and going to your NHS foot check, when you are invited.
Everyone with diabetes should have a foot check as part of your annual review at least once a year or sometimes every two years if there were no problems at your last check. They’re arranged by your GP practice or diabetes clinic.
Make sure you get yours, even if you’ve been referred to a foot specialist or clinic. They will check your feet and tell you your level of risk of foot problems.
Diabetes leads to 184 leg, toe or foot amputations a week.
That's 26 amputations a day and 1 amputation every hour. Going to your foot checks and knowing the signs to look out for could prevent this from happening.
How to check your feet at home
If you have diabetes, it’s important to check your feet every day not just at your annual foot check, so you can get help straightaway for any changes you notice. Read our advice on how to look after your feet for tips.
What happens are your foot check
Your foot check is one of your annual diabetes checks. Your healthcare professional will examine your feet, and they will ask you to take off anything covering your feet like shoes and socks so they can look at every part of them, including between your toes. They’ll check the blood supply or circulation in your feet by feeling for foot pulses in two places, or using a small handheld machine called a doppler, to listen to the blood flow.
They’ll also check for changes of the feeling in your feet with special equipment like a tuning fork and monofilament. This is a small piece of plastic that will bend under pressure. They will also ask you questions about your feet and how you manage your diabetes. For example:
- Have you had any problems or noticed any changes like cuts, blisters, broken skin, or corns?
- Have you ever had any foot problems or wounds?
- Have you had any pain or discomfort?
- How often do you check your feet?
- Do you have any cramp-like pains when walking?
- How is your diabetes management going?
To help you make the most of your foot check, from our shop download our free Diabetes and looking after your feet guide (PDF, 1.3MB) which is available in 9 languages. A printed version is also available in English, Polish and Romanian.
Know your risk of a foot problem
Your healthcare team will tell you your results and what your risk of a foot problem is. This includes:
- Low: no risk, or a callus without any other problem.
- Moderate: one sign of a foot problem, such as a loss of feeling or sensation or a change in foot shape.
- High: more than one sign of a foot problem, being on kidney dialysis or a previous ulcer or amputation.
You might also hear your healthcare professional say your level of foot problem is active. This means you have a current serious foot complication, such as a spreading infection or ulcer and you should be having treatment for it already.
You’ll get information that explains what your level of risk means, as well as what you need to do next.
If your feet are moderate or high risk, you’ll be referred to the foot protection team where you'll see a foot specialist.
Make sure you have details of who to contact if you have a foot problem before your next foot check.
If your last foot check showed no problems, your feet might be checked every two years. It will depend on your individual level of risk for developing a serious foot problem.
If your healthcare professional says your risk level is:
- Low: your foot check will now happen every other year as it’s not likely you will develop foot problems. But if you notice any changes in your feet, like changes in colour, swelling or loss of feeling, you should speak with your diabetes care team straight away.
- Moderate: you will be referred to a podiatrist. If the podiatrist doesn’t think you need more regular checks, you’ll keep having a foot check every year. If you need to have more monitoring, the podiatrist will discuss a plan with you and you'll also still have an annual foot check.
- High: the podiatrist will now be in charge of your footcare. The podiatrist will discuss a plan with you to help you take care of your feet. The plan will be reviewed at least once a year and you might be referred to other specialists. This is to help stop you from getting a foot ulcer that could lead to an amputation.
- In remission: this means that you have had a foot ulcer, amputation or other foot problem in the past. The podiatrist will discuss a plan with you which will be reviewed at least once a year. You might be referred to other specialists. This is to help stop you from having any more complications with your feet.
Seeing a foot specialist (a podiatrist)
Your foot specialist should provide you with a management or treatment plan. If you don’t get it, ask your footcare team for it.
It's ok to ask your foot specialist questions. The more you know, the more you can check for any changes in your feet.
Watch our video on what to expect when you see a foot specialist at the foot clinic.
