Table 1.

Barriers to Performing Foot Care

Diagnosis	Effect on ability to perform foot care
Arthritis: spinal, hip, knee	Cannot reach feet
Pain
Obesity
Arthritis of small joints of hands	Impaired dexterity
Neurological conditions (eg, stroke)	Impaired fine motor skills
Dementia or cognitive impairment	May be unable to complete/remember complex tasks
Visual impairment	Cannot see toenails
Neuropathy	May not sense development of foot pathology such as ulcers
Thickened toenails/onychomycosis	Cannot cut through toenails
Peripheral arterial disease	Foot pain
Orthostatic hypotension/Vertigo	Difficulty bending down