Finnish diabetic patient loses toes after allegedly mishandled foot care procedure

A Finnish man’s minor foot injury escalated to multiple amputations following alleged improper treatment during routine foot care, highlighting risks faced by diabetics and gaps in regulation.

After a routine trip to a foot care provider left 79-year-old Markku with a serious wound, a small problem escalated into months of treatment, a hospital amputation and a bitter dispute over how it happened. The retired man from Kuohu in central Finland, whose name has been changed to protect his privacy, said a callus removed from his diabetic foot was the start of a chain of events that ended with the loss of his right little toe and, later, another toe on his left foot.

Markku said the trouble began last September when new trainers caused a blister near the base of the nail on his right little toe. The blister turned into a callus, which a foot care worker then removed with forceps. Because diabetes can reduce blood flow to the legs and make infections more likely, experts stress that even small skin breaks in the foot need careful assessment and close follow-up. Guidance from the National Centre for Biotechnology Information says regular foot checks, skin inspection and vascular assessment are central to preventing ulcers and amputations.

What followed was a drawn-out infection. Markku said he was given several courses of antibiotics, but the toe darkened and tissue began to die. Doctors at Nova Hospital in Jyväskylä amputated the little toe on January 8 after fears of gangrene. Clinical guidance on diabetic foot infections says a skin break can spread into deeper tissue and bone if not treated quickly, and severe cases may require surgery to prevent further damage.

Markku said a surgeon later told him the callus should have been removed by sanding rather than pulled off. He also said the foot care worker cried when told what had happened at a later appointment, then refunded him €400 while denying any mistake. The company contacted its insurer, which refused compensation, and the matter has not gone further because Markku does not want to begin a long claims process. In Finland, podiatry-style foot care is not a protected professional title, meaning anyone can in principle offer the service, although diabetes specialists recommend structured education and regular assessment by trained professionals.

The consequences did not end there. A few weeks ago, Markku said, surgeons also removed the little toe on his other foot after a vascular bypass procedure at the ankle. Despite the setbacks, he joked that losing both little toes has left him “balanced”, though he said the loss of a big toe would make walking much harder. His recovery involved repeated wound cleaning and dressing changes at hospital, the kind of ongoing care that diabetic foot guidelines say is often needed after infection or surgery.

His dog, Elli, appeared to sense something was wrong long before the worst of the infection was treated, sniffing at the bandaged foot and refusing to settle until the wound was cleaned. For Markku, the ordeal has been a painful lesson in how quickly a minor foot injury can become life-changing when diabetes is part of the picture.