Those people with diabetes who are aware of the threat that is posed by diabetes foot complications are right to be terrified by the worst-case scenario: the loss by amputation of one of their feet or legs. People with diabetes are at risk of developing a series of common conditions that can represent a conduit for infection to their vulnerable feet. Andrew Clarke describes the apparently minor conditions that in fact require adequate attention or need to be prevented before chronic ulcers develop and the consequences become tragic.