Staining on Socks Can Be a Sign of DFUs: MD Podiatrist

According to Daniel Michaels, DPM, staining on your socks can be a sign of diabetic foot ulcers. “This is because foot ulcers are just like any other wound on the body-they tend to bleed, so the staining on the sock, which usually looks brown-ish, [could be] dried blood oozing from the ulcer site,” Dr. Michaels explains. Other signs of foot ulcers include a “strong malodorous smell coming from the bottom of the foot, as well as a sudden onset of swelling or redness of a particular foot,” she adds.
 
Dr. Michaels says patients don’t always notice that they have a wound or ulcer on their foot. This is because nerve damage, also known as neuropathy, is one of the “most common medical conditions associated with diabetes.” She says this condition can cause feelings of burning, tingling, and numbness in the feet, which can mask the pain of ulcers and lead to a total loss of sensation in the foot.