Diabetic Foot Exam, Preventative Foot Care, and Advanced Wound Care in Markham
Diabetes is a common medical condition that affects many people. The diabetic foot is prone to serious complications, including loss of sensation (peripheral neuropathy), poor circulation (peripheral arterial disease), and weakened immune response. These complications can lead to diabetic foot ulcers. Foot ulcers often become infected and, if left untreated, may lead to diabetic foot or limb amputation.
Diabetic foot care in Markham begins with a risk assessment. Our chiropodists evaluate whether your feet are low-risk or high-risk and provide you with diabetic foot education and recommendations to help protect your feet. Routine diabetic foot care is provided at regular intervals to help with corns and calluses, ingrown toenails, toenail fungus, and athlete’s foot. These are all common conditions that are more important to care for in the diabetic foot.
Prevention is the key to preventing diabetic foot complications
Mount Joy Foot Clinic & Orthotic Centre in Markham can also provide you with supplementary care options including diabetic orthopedic shoes, diabetic custom foot orthotics, and diabetic socks (either compression socks or non-binding, stretch socks). Begin your diabetic foot care journey with our chiropodists today. Book a diabetic risk assessment so you know where you stand.
Diabetic foot care at Mount Joy Foot Clinic is provided by Suleman Bhatti, D.Ch, Tooba Shah, D.Ch, Vithusha Yogeswaran, D.Ch and Felix Yong, D.Ch, all registered chiropodists with the College of Chiropodists of Ontario.
Last reviewed November 2026.
What Happens at Your Diabetic Foot Exam
Your first visit takes about 30 minutes and has four parts:
- History and risk factors: how long you’ve had diabetes, your blood sugar control, past ulcers or amputations, and any numbness, tingling or pain.
- Nerve testing: we check vibration and monofilament sensation to find early neuropathy.
- Circulation check: we feel your pedal pulses and check skin colour, temperature and swelling, use doppler to listen to your pulses.
- Skin, nails and footwear: we look for calluses, corns, fungal infections, ingrown nails and pressure points, and check your shoes and socks for fit.
You’ll leave knowing whether your feet are low-risk or high-risk, with a care plan and a recommended follow-up schedule. Most people with healthy feet are seen yearly. Higher-risk feet are seen more often.
Essential Daily Foot Care Tips for People with Diabetes
Inspect Your Feet Daily
Wash and Dry Gently
Moisturize Carefully
Wear Proper Shoes and Socks
Leave Surgery to the Professionals
Soft, Protective Custom Orthotics for Diabetic Feet
Specialized insoles designed to cushion, protect, and offload high-pressure areas.
Standard orthotics are sometimes too rigid for sensitive, high-risk diabetic feet. This is why our Markham clinic specializes in accommodative foot orthotics, custom-built to absorb shock, redistribute pressure away from tender bony prominences, and protect sensitive areas from friction and ulceration.
These custom devices use ultra-soft, multi-layered cushioning materials to conform to your foot’s unique shape for maximum safety, comfort, and protection with every step you take.
Diabetic Footwear
Anodyne, Orthofeet, and Drew offer safe shoe options for high-risk diabetic feet.
Diabetic orthopedic shoes are specially made shoes that help people with diabetes avoid foot ulcers and injuries by offering additional support, cushioning, and protection.
Advantage for people with diabetes:
- Lowers the risk of foot ulcers by reducing pressure points and friction
- Increases comfort with enhanced support and cushioning
- Ideal for use with accommodative custom foot orthotics
- Prevents injuries to delicate feet, promoting overall foot health
Frequently Asked Questions
Commonly asked questions about the diabetic foot
When you have diabetes, reduced nerve sensation (neuropathy) and decreased blood flow mean a small nick or over-trimming can easily turn into an open wound or infection without you realizing it. Over-the-counter corn removers and bathroom tools like razor blades or sharp clippers are particularly dangerous because chemical burns and deep cuts are a leading cause of diabetic foot ulcers.
Even if you have no pain or visible symptoms, you should have a comprehensive diabetic foot assessment at least once a year. Diabetes often causes loss of sensation in the feet gradually, meaning high-pressure areas or poor circulation can develop without causing any pain. If you have existing neuropathy, calluses, or poor circulation, your chiropodist may recommend visits every 2 to 3 months.
How a Chiropodist Helps: During a routine assessment, a chiropodist performs neurological tests (checking light touch and vibration sensory levels) and vascular checks (evaluating arterial blood flow and pulses). This allows us to catch invisible risk factors long before a blister or ulcer ever forms
We generally advise against soaking your feet if you live with diabetes. Soaking can dry out the skin over time, causing it to crack and open pathways for bacteria. Furthermore, if diabetic neuropathy has impaired your heat perception, water that feels comfortably warm to your hands might actually be hot enough to scald or burn the skin on your feet.
How a Chiropodist Helps: We provide guidance on safe daily hygiene routines, recommend barrier-repair moisturizers suited for diabetic skin, and offer professional treatments for dry, cracked heels without risking thermal injuries or moisture-induced skin breakdown.
Walking barefoot leaves your feet unprotected against accidental stubs, hidden splinters, tiny debris, or pet dander. If nerve damage is present, you may step on a sharp object and walk on it all day without feeling it, creating a deep wound before it’s discovered. Additionally, walking barefoot places unfiltered pressure directly onto the delicate structures under your foot.
How a Chiropodist Helps: Chiropodists evaluate your gait and foot structure to recommend indoor supportive footwear or specialized offloading solutions that cushion your soles and redistribute high-pressure zones to protect your skin 24/7.
Treat any minor foot injury as an urgent matter. Wash the area gently with mild soap and water, apply a clean dry dressing, avoid putting direct pressure on it, and do not apply harsh chemicals like rubbing alcohol or iodine. Monitor it closely, and if it doesn't improve within 24 to 48 hours—or if you notice warmth, swelling, or drainage—contact a foot specialist right away.
How a Chiropodist Helps: Chiropodists provide immediate wound care interventions, such as professional debridement and pressure-relieving techniques, to stop a simple cut from progressing into a severe infection or chronic diabetic ulcer.
Regular socks often have tight elastic bands that cut off circulation and thick toe seams that rub against your skin, causing painful blisters. Diabetic socks are built without tight elastic tops so they won't pinch your legs, feature flat, seamless toes to prevent sores, and use special moisture-wicking fabric to keep your feet dry and infection-free.
How a Chiropodist Helps: We check your leg circulation to ensure you pick the safest sock for your feet. If you suffer from swelling or poor blood flow, wearing the wrong type can actually cause more harm than good, so a professional fit makes all the difference.
Need help with diabetic foot care?
Protect your feet today. It's never too early.
Start your diabetic foot care journey with us. Complete your risk assessment, monitor your feet regularly with our chiropodists, get fitted for diabetic shoes, diabetic orthotics, and diabetic socks to protect yourself from diabetic foot complications.
