Anyone who has ever had an elevated blood sugar level is at risk for foot complications. It may be as simple as knowing that once in your life, even during pregnancy, you have had an elevated blood sugar level. If so, you are at risk and must monitor your feet.

Diet-controlled diabetics, whether diagnosed as an adult or as a child, have feet at risk for diabetic complications. The simple rule: If you have ever been told that you are at risk of developing diabetes, you need to monitor your feet closely to prevent complications.

The Achilles tendon is the largest tendon in the body. It connects the upper calf muscles to the back of the heel bone. Achilles tendinitis is an injury to this tendon that causes pain in the back of the leg. Typically this injury results from inflammation of the surrounding sheath (paratenonitis), degeneration within the tendon (tendinosis), or a combination of the two.

The Achilles tendon is the largest tendon in your body. It connects the upper calf muscles to the back of the heel bone. Achilles tendinosis is a condition in which the Achilles tendon degenerates and becomes inflamed. Sometimes, it may also be called Achilles tendinitis. If you have Achilles tendinosis, your tendon can swell and become painful. This condition is common in athletes, runners, and people who have calf tightness. Achilles tendinosis may occur in the middle of the tendon (known as midsubstance Achilles tendinosis) or at the point where the tendon connects to the heel bone (known as insertional Achilles tendinosis).

Acquired adult flatfoot deformity (AAFD) is a progressive flattening of the arch of the foot that occurs as the posterior tibial tendon wears down. It has many other names such as posterior tibial tendon dysfunction, posterior tibial tendon insufficiency and dorsolateral peritalar subluxation. This problem may progress from early stages with pain along the posterior tibial tendon to advanced deformity and arthritis throughout the hindfoot (back of the foot) and ankle.

The ankle is made up of three bones:

• the tibia (shin bone), which forms the inside, front, and back of the ankle
• the fibula, which forms the outside of the ankle
• the talus, a small bone that sits between the tibia and fibula and the heel bone

The ends of these bones are called malleoli. The tibia has a medial (inside) malleoli and a posterior malleoli. The fibula forms the lateral (outside) malleoli.

An ankle sprain refers to tearing of the ligaments of the ankle. The most common ankle sprain occurs on the lateral (outside) part of the ankle. There's a good chance that while playing sports as a child or stepping on an uneven surface as an adult you sprained your ankle—some 25,000 people do it every day. It can happen in the setting of an ankle fracture (i.e., when the bones of the ankle also break). Most commonly, however, it occurs in isolation.

The pain and stiffness you feel in your feet and ankles as you age could be arthritis. If left untreated, this nagging pain can get worse over time, eventually making it difficult to walk even short distances. Severe arthritis can restrict your mobility, but with proper treatment, you can minimize the pain and maximize your quality of life.

Arthritis is a broad term for a number of conditions that destroy the workings of a normal joint. Arthritis may occur in your back, neck, hips, knees, shoulders or hands, as well as your feet and ankles. Almost half of people in their 60s and 70s have arthritis of the foot and/or ankle, but not all of them have symptoms.

Athlete’s foot (tinea pedis) is caused by several types of fungal organisms. It is quite common and usually easily treated. Two approaches, changing socks and shoes frequently and administering local medications, usually resolve infection.

If the joint that connects your big toe to your foot has a swollen, sore bump, you may have a bunion. More than one-third of women in America have bunions, a common deformity often blamed on wearing tight, narrow shoes and high heels. Bunions may be hereditary, but many are from wearing tight shoes, and 9 out of 10 bunions occur in women. Too-tight shoes also can cause foot problems such as corns, calluses, and hammertoes.

If you have a painful swollen lump on the outside of your foot near the base of your little toe, it may be a bunionette​ ("tailor's bunion"). Similar to a bunion, bunionettes can be caused by wearing shoes that are too tight. 

Charcot arthropathy, also known as Charcot foot and ankle, is a syndrome in patients who have peripheral neuropathy, or loss of sensation, in the foot and ankle. Patients may experience fractures and dislocations of bones and joints with minimal or no known trauma.

Chronic lateral ankle pain is recurring pain on the outer side of the ankle that often develops after an injury such as a sprained ankle. However, several other conditions also may cause chronic ankle pain.

Claw toe is a common foot deformity in which your toes bend into a claw-like position, digging down into the soles of your shoes and creating painful calluses. People often blame claw toe on wearing shoes that squeeze your toes, such as shoes that are too short or high heels. However, claw toes often are the result of nerve damage caused by diseases like diabetes or alcoholism, which can weaken the muscles in your foot. Claw toes can get worse without treatment and may become a permanent deformity over time. 

Clubfoot is an abnormal inward curving of the foot. One of the most common nonmajor birth defects, clubfoot affects a child's foot and ankle, twisting the heel and toes inward. The clubfoot, calf and leg are smaller and shorter than normal. Clubfoot is not painful, the deformity is correctable, and your baby is probably otherwise normal. Approximately one in every 1,000 newborns has clubfoot. Of those, one in three have both feet affected. Two out of three clubfoot babies are boys. Clubfoot is twice as likely if the baby’s parents or their other children also have it. Less severe infant foot problems also are common and sometimes mislabeled as clubfoot.

Every day, the average person spends several hours on their feet and takes several thousand steps. Walking puts pressure on your feet that's equivalent to one-and-a-half times your body weight. No wonder your feet hurt!

Actually, most foot problems can be blamed not on walking but on your shoes. Corns, for example, are calluses that form on the toes because the bones push up against the shoe and put pressure on the skin. The surface layer of the skin thickens and builds up, irritating the tissues underneath. Hard corns usually are located on the top of the toes or on the side of the small toe. Soft corns may resemble open sores and develop between the toes as they rub against each other.

Since people with diabetes are at risk for foot problems that can lead to more serious issues, having the proper footwear is important. While some people in the early stages of the disease may be able to find their own footwear, others need shoes prescribed by a foot and ankle specialist. Click the button below to find out more about custom orthotics (shoe inserts) and other beneficial prescription footwear that a doctor can offer.

About 30 million people in the US have diabetes, according to the American Diabetes Association. A possible complication of the disease is nervous system impairment (neuropathy), which may cause you to lose feeling in your feet or hands. This means you won't know right away if there is a problem. Diabetic neuropathy affects about 60 to 70 percent of people with diabetes.

People with diabetes are at risk for developing foot problems that can be severe. If you have diabetes, make sure to learn about these potential conditions, monitor your feet regularly, and see your foot and ankle orthopaedic surgeons if you suspect a problem.

Diabetes can cause serious foot problems. These conditions include the loss of nerve function (diabetic neuropathy) and loss of circulation (peripheral vascular disease). These two conditions can lead to: 

• Diabetic foot ulcers: wounds that do not heal
• Infections: skin infections (cellulitis), bone infections (osteomyelitis) and pus collections (abscesses)
• Gangrene: dead tissue resulting from complete loss of circulation
• Charcot arthropathy: fractures and dislocations that may result in severe deformities
• Amputation: partial foot, whole foot, or below-knee amputation

Patients with diabetes are prone to major foot problems. This is because the foot expresses many of the underlying effects of diabetes, including neuropathy, vascular disease, and diminished response to infection.

As a result of the neuropathy, the foot can develop an ulcer. This happens for two reasons. The first is that the neuropathy causes paralysis of small muscles in the foot, which results in clawing of the toes. Clawing of the toes causes prominence of the metatarsal heads (bones closest to the toe) on the bottom of the foot as well as the knuckles on the dorsum (top) of the foot.

A hammertoe is a deformity of the second, third, or fourth toe. In this condition, the toe is bent at the middle joint, so that it resembles a hammer. Hammertoes typically start as a flexible deformity but if left untreated could potentially develop into a fixed/rigid deformity that may require more aggressive surgery to correct.

Every mile you walk puts tons of stress on each foot. Your feet can handle a heavy load, but too much stress pushes them over their limits. When you pound your feet on hard surfaces playing sports or wear shoes that irritate sensitive tissues, you may develop heel pain, the most common problem affecting the foot and ankle.

A sore heel will usually get better on its own without surgery if you give it enough rest. However, many people ignore the early signs of heel pain and keep on doing the activities that caused it. When you continue to walk on a sore heel, it will only get worse and could become a chronic condition leading to more problems.