Diabetes is a serious issue that creates challenges in many aspects of life.
Diabetes affects many parts of the body, and foot problems are common with many Diabetic patients. One of the biggest issues Diabetic’s face is finding proper footwear.
By recommending supportive footwear to your patients, you can help them manage their foot pain and improve their quality of life.
We're here to help guide you in finding the best footwear for your diabetic patients. Read on to learn what to look for when recommending diabetic footwear.
What Is the Diabetic Foot?
Diabetes develops when someone’s body is not producing enough insulin, or when insulin can't perform its necessary functions in the body. Because diabetes affects the vascular system, it can cause problems throughout the body, including in the feet.
This makes finding the right orthopedic footwear very important for diabetics. If you have patients suffering from diabetes, stressing the importance of wearing the right shoes can really improve their health and quality of life.
Consider the Material
Generally, people are most comfortable in stretchy material, like leather, that can adapt to fit a person’s foot. You want to ensure the material of a shoe you recommend is soft, but also addresses any specific foot issues your patient may have. You might consider breathable fabrics, like perforated leather or mesh for patients in warmer climates.
Shoes with laces will generally be more supportive and comfortable for your patients. They tend to provide a better fit and can be adjusted to the patient’s foot.
Pay Attention to Fit
As a general rule, you want to be able to fit half the width of your thumb between the end of your patient’s longest toe and the tip of their shoe. This gives the foot more room and provides plenty of air circulation.
You want to ask your patient if they can wiggle their toes so you can better gauge that they will have enough space for natural expansion over the course of the day.
Think About Comfort
Your best bet is to pick a pair of shoes a patient can wear all day long. When recommending a pair of shoes, you may want to ask your patient what their favorite types of shoes are, to help inform you what types of footwear they like so you can recommend a similar or more supportive style.
Look at the Tongue and Throat
For optimal comfort, the tongue of diabetic footwear should be very padded to stop a shoe's laces from pressing too much into the foot.
The throat of a shoe needs to be padded and cut low enough that it won't rub against your patient’s ankles uncomfortably. You may also want to consider shoes with minimal seams inside, or offer a seamless style, depending on the severity of the foot conditions your patient has.
Feel for Arch Support
Pick shoes that have good arch support to protect feet from tissue breakdown and unnecessary pain. Arch support will help with body alignment and weight distribution, which can reduce foot pain in the long term. You may want to consider a Custom Diabetic Insert, or a prefabricated insert to provide extra support for the patients’ foot.
Note the Shopping Time
Because feet naturally swell by the end of the day, you may want to book shoe fitting appointments earlier in the day if possible. This gives you a better idea of the size of footwear your patient will need for all-day comfort.
Buy More Than One Pair
You may want to recommend to your patient that they purchase two pairs of therapeutic footwear so that they can rotate what they’re wearing from day to day and always have a backup pair.
Remember the Shoes to Avoid
In general, most styles of flip-flops, sandals, pointy-toed shoes, or open-toe shoes do not offer the proper support necessary for a diabetic patient. Many of these types of shoes put pressure on the foot and cause circulation issues and blisters, while open-toe shoes leave the foot vulnerable to cuts and scrapes.
Shoes that are too narrow can also make blisters form and lead to further foot problems if toes rub together. Always make sure to consider the width when measuring for therapeutic footwear and check the specific measurement guides for each brand of footwear as they tend to differ from brand to brand.
Consider Apex for the Best Shoes for Diabetics
Apex offers a wide variety of styles and sizes of diabetic footwear, along with prefabricated foot insoles as well as Custom Diabetic Inserts. Apex offers seamless shoes in their Conform Collection, as well as shoes with a removable depth of up to a half of an inch.
Click below to find the best shoes for diabetics, no matter what the foot condition may be.