Diabetic foot problems in India: an overview and potential simple approaches in a developing country

India has the highest number of people with diabetes in the world. Diabetic foot care is one of the most ignored aspects of diabetes care in India. Due to social, religious, and economic compulsions, many people walk barefoot. Poverty and illiteracy lead to usage of inappropriate foot wear and late presentation of foot lesions. Many nonphysicians are interfering in the treatment of diseases, including diabetes. Patients also try home remedies before visiting their physicians. We believe that rational improvisation is the key to success when working with diabetic foot patients in developing countries. We have developed several improvised techniques/approaches for diabetes care in general and specifically for foot care. Our techniques/approaches are based on four principles: 1) they are simple, 2) no special training is needed, 3) they are affordable, and 4) they are effective. Only simple and affordable methods are successful in the developing world.