A diabetic foot ulcer is an open sore or wound that occurs in approximately 15 percent of patients with diabetes, and is commonly located on the bottom of the foot.

Long-term high blood sugar can cause a type of nerve damage called diabetic neuropathy. Diabetic neuropathy can occur throughout the body, but most often in the legs and feet.

The condition might make you lose feeling in your feet. If your feet are numb, you might not notice a blister, cut or sore. You might not even feel a pebble in your sock that is cutting your foot, for example. Wounds that go unnoticed and untreated can become infected.