Clinical Care of the Diabetic Foot

The third edition of Clinical Care of the Diabetic Foot has been fully revised and updated, and continues to be the essential handbook on foot care and the treatment of the diabetic foot.

The diabetic foot is typically the victim of nerve damage, micro- and macrovascular disease, and faulty healing, mechanisms that without proper care can lead to amputation. More than 80,000 diabetes-related amputations are performed in the United States each year, but non-specialist primary care providers, as well as residents, nurses, and diabetes educators, can help prevent this devastating, life-altering, and expensive complication. Healthcare professionals and medical students alike will find that this concise, well-indexed, and updated guide offers practical advice on detecting and managing diabetes-related foot complications.

About the Authors:
David G. Armstrong, DPM, MD, PhD, is professor of surgery in the Department of Surgery at the University of Arizona in Tucson, visiting professor of medicine at the University of Manchester College of Medicine in Manchester, U.K., and co-founder of Southern Arizona Limb Salvage Alliance (SALSA) in Tucson.

Lawrence A. Lavery, DPM, MPH, is professor of surgery in the Department of Plastic Surgery and Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, TX.

What do the reviwers and comments think about this book?
The book is generally regarded as a highly practical clinical reference for healthcare professionals involved in diabetic foot management—especially podiatrists, wound-care nurses, diabetes educators, residents, and primary care clinicians. Across retailer and reader-review sources, the tone is mostly strongly positive, with praise centered on its usability in real-world clinical settings.

Common positive themes in reviews
1) Clear and concise clinical guidance
Many reviewers describe the book as easy to read, concise, and well organized. Readers appreciate that it distills a complex topic into a handbook format that can be used quickly in practice.

One review specifically calls it a “wonderful, concise book” and highlights how clearly it explains diabetic foot conditions and treatment.

2) Strong practical value
A recurring comment is that the book is clinically useful rather than overly theoretical. It is frequently described as a good reference text for day-to-day patient care, covering risk assessment, ulcer classification, offloading, wound care, infection, vascular issues, and Charcot foot.

3) Trusted expert authorship
Readers and professional descriptions alike emphasize confidence in the authors’ expertise. David Armstrong, in particular, is widely recognized as a leading figure in diabetic foot and limb-salvage research.

4) Useful for multiple clinician types
Comments often mention that it works well not just for specialists but also for:

nurses
medical students
residents
diabetes educators
general clinicians

This broad usability is often seen as a major strength.

Criticisms / less favorable comments

The main criticism that appears in reviews is that some editions feel too general.

One reviewer noted disappointment that the content was “very general” and not as detailed or specialized as expected, suggesting that some information may overlap with broadly available sources.

So the most common negative feedback is not poor quality, but rather that advanced specialists may want deeper detail or more subspecialty-level discussion.

Bottom-line review consensus

In summary, reviews suggest that the book is best seen as a practical, clinically oriented handbook rather than an exhaustive academic textbook. Most comments praise its clarity, accessibility, and bedside usefulness, while the main criticism is that it may not be detailed enough for highly specialized readers.