Diabetes Foot Care in 2026: New Tools, Fewer Amputations

Most diabetes-related amputations are preventable — and in late 2026, new data and new technology are making prevention easier than ever. Vascular experts estimate that up to 80% of diabetes-related amputations could be avoided with early detection and timely treatment, which is why foot care is getting fresh attention this spring.

The short version

• Daily foot checks and at least one professional foot assessment a year remain the single most powerful prevention tools.
• A new Australian Diabetic Foot Registry is tracking tens of thousands of ulcer cases to help clinicians spot risk earlier and improve care nationwide.
• Emerging tools, like home temperature-sensing devices, may one day help detect foot problems before they’re visible to the eye.
• People in regional and remote Australia, and First Nations communities, face much higher rates of diabetes-related amputation, so access to local podiatry matters enormously.

What’s new in foot care right now

The Australian Diabetic Foot Registry, a national project tracking ulcer outcomes across dozens of hospitals and clinics, had recorded data on nearly 11,000 people and over 22,000 ulcer cases by mid-2025, with the dataset continuing to grow through 2026. The idea behind it is simple but powerful: if clinicians can see patterns in who develops ulcers and why, they can intervene sooner and tailor care to each person’s risk level, rather than waiting for a wound to appear.

Overseas, researchers in New Zealand are piloting a portable device called FootSense, which measures tiny temperature differences between matching areas on each foot. A “hot spot” can sometimes signal inflammation or reduced blood flow before a person feels pain or notices a sore. It’s still early-stage research and not yet available for home use in Australia, but it points to where foot-care technology may be heading — catching trouble before it becomes a crisis.

Separately, a company called PolyPid has announced an investigational localised antibiotic treatment (PD01B) aimed at moderate-to-severe diabetic foot infections. This is a development-stage product undergoing further study, not an approved treatment, and it does not replace the basics of prevention and wound care that already work well.

What the evidence shows

According to Diabetes Australia, roughly 510,000 Australians are living with diabetes-related foot disease, and this contributes to around 47,100 hospital admissions each year. In 2019–20, diabetes-related foot disease was linked to more than 5,000 lower-limb amputations and 1,700 deaths.

The risk is not spread evenly. Diabetes Australia reports that amputations are around ten times more common in regional areas than in major cities, and First Nations Australians are about 30 times more likely to experience a diabetes-related amputation than non-Indigenous Australians. This gap reflects unequal access to podiatry, vascular specialists and early screening — not anything about the people themselves.

A pooled analysis of clinical trials has also confirmed something podiatrists have long recommended: custom-made footwear and offloading insoles (special inserts that take pressure off vulnerable areas of the foot) are genuinely helpful for reducing the risk of foot ulcers in people with diabetes, particularly those who’ve had a wound before.

Who this affects

• Type 1 and type 2 diabetes: Both can cause peripheral neuropathy (nerve damage that reduces feeling in the feet) and peripheral arterial disease (narrowed blood vessels that reduce circulation), the two main drivers of foot ulcers.
• Longer duration of diabetes: Risk tends to rise the longer someone has lived with diabetes, especially if blood glucose has been harder to manage at times.
• Gestational diabetes and prediabetes: Foot complications are less common here, but good glucose management and general foot hygiene are still worthwhile habits to build early.
• People in rural, remote or under-resourced areas: As the statistics above show, access to regular podiatry care makes a real difference.

Availability and cost in Australia

Medicare provides subsidised podiatry visits for eligible people with diabetes through a Chronic Disease Management (CDM) plan, arranged with a GP — typically up to five allied health visits per year, shared across any podiatry, dietetic or other allied health needs. The NDSS (National Diabetes Services Scheme) doesn’t fund podiatry directly but is a good first stop for general foot-care information and subsidised products like testing supplies. Newer technologies like FootSense are still in research and trial stages overseas and aren’t commercially available in Australia yet.

What we still don’t know

Home temperature-sensing devices are promising but unproven at scale — we don’t yet know how well they perform in everyday use, or whether they genuinely reduce ulcers and amputations compared with standard foot checks. Similarly, the Australian Diabetic Foot Registry is a data-tracking tool, not a treatment; its benefit will depend on how well that data translates into earlier referrals and better local services over the coming years.

What this means for you

• Check both feet every day — soles, heels, between toes and toenails — for cuts, blisters, redness, swelling, colour changes or wounds that aren’t healing. A mirror can help you see the bottom of your feet.
• Wash and dry feet daily, moisturise dry skin (but not between the toes), and never walk barefoot, even indoors.
• Ask your GP about a Chronic Disease Management plan for subsidised podiatry visits, and aim for at least one professional foot check a year — more often if you’re at higher risk.
• See a doctor promptly for any new wound, infection sign, numbness, or change in foot colour or temperature. Don’t wait and see.
• If you live regionally or have difficulty accessing podiatry, ask your GP or Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Service about telehealth or outreach options.

This article is general information, not individual medical advice. Always speak with your GP, endocrinologist, credentialled diabetes educator or podiatrist about your own foot-care plan.

Diabetes-related foot complications are largely preventable, and awareness is growing fast. For more practical guides on living well with diabetes, explore our daily menus, recipes and everyday tips here on Diabetes Clarity.