Individuals with diabetes are at higher risks for various complications due to the side effects of diabetes. Diabetes can cause neuropathy (nerve damage). This can present as the loss of feeling in your feet. You may not be able to feel pain or discomfort with neuropathy. If there is a cut, scratch, or abrasion on your foot it could go unnoticed for a while due to neuropathy. Diabetes also causes poor circulation in your feet. This reduces your ability to heal. Poor circulation can make it difficult for even the smallest wound to heal.
Here are some diabetes-related foot and leg problems:
Infections and ulcers that do not heal due to poor circulation. If you are unable to feel your feet due to neuropathy, you may not
feel your shoes causing pressure and producing corns and calluses. Poor circulation can make your feet dry and crack. Ingrown toenails and fungal infections are also prevalent amongst people with diabetes. Motor neuropathy (nerve damage affecting muscles) can cause muscle weakness. This results in hammertoes and bunions. Diabetes can also affect your bones leading to osteoporosis (brittle bones) or charcot foot (a complex foot deformity). A blocked artery in the calf can also occur. With diabetes, blood vessels below the knee tend to narrow. 