Many people who have diabetes have nerve disease and PAD or peripheral arterial disease, which can make their feet less sensitive and cut off blood flow to them. They can cause ulcers and infections that can lead to amputations when they mix with each other. 60% of lower-leg amputations in people who are 20 or older are caused by diabetes, according to the American Diabetic Association and the American Journal of Managed Care, which is both in the field of diabetes care. In the United States, someone is diagnosed with diabetes every 17 seconds, and about 230 people with diabetes lose a limb each day.
By visiting a podiatrist, taking care of yourself, and wearing the right kind of diabetic footwear, you can avoid having to have your feet amputated. In this post, we will go a little deeper into the subject of diabetic shoes.
Diabetic shoes are good for your feet.
Many people don’t know that there are special shoes for everything. Weightlifters, boxers, and baseball players don’t wear shoes that are meant for running. Shoes are made for different people and different activities. Diabetic shoes aren’t any different from any other shoes. Diabetic shoes are made to protect the feet from things that can cause the skin to break down and become dangerous sores and ulcers. If you have diabetes and don’t wear diabetic shoes, you should talk to your doctor right away about what you can do.
When a diabetic person has poor circulation and neuropathy, their nerves can’t heal or sense damage to their feet at all, which means that problems aren’t felt, and they can’t be fixed. When someone has a sore, it can grow into a wound or ulcer without them even realizing that it. Those wounds can then become infected and become dangerous or even life-threatening, such as amputation.
A good diabetic shoe is comfortable, but it also protects your feet. Diabetic shoes keep ulcers from forming and stop foot strains and calluses from getting worse. The inside of the shoe is made of soft, seam-free materials with no stitching so that you don’t get hurt when materials rub against your foot as you move. Diabetic shoes have a wide toe-box to give the toes more room, which is especially important when there are deformities like bunions or hammertoes. They also often have extra depth so that they can fit diabetic custom foot orthotics inserts, which gives them even more support and moves the weight away from pressure points. People with diabetes should make an appointment at one of our four easy-to-get-to places to meet with a doctor. It is up to our doctors to tell if you need diabetic shoes or insoles. They will make sure you get the right shoes.
What makes diabetic shoes so unique?
- To make room for diabetic insoles or orthotics, the shoes are extra wide.
- A strong heel counters to keep the back of the foot stable on both sides.
- It has a padded collar around the ankle.
- A thick and padded tongue to help keep the back of the foot in place.
- A toe box that protects your toes from getting hurt when they get stubbed when you walk.
- A non-slip sole to keep people from falling down, and getting hurt.
- Specially made to fit your foot.
- It has a special multi-density diabetic insole that doesn’t let the shoes slip off your feet (back and forth movement).
Sometimes, a doctor may say that you can get diabetic insoles or socks to help support your feet and keep blood flow going smoothly through your body. You might also need diabetic insoles, shoes, and socks, or a doctor might say that you need to do all three together. Before you buy any diabetic shoes, always talk to your doctor to make sure you get the right one for you and your feet.
