What You Need to Know About Diabetic Shoes

What Makes a Diabetes Shoe Different?

Diabetic footwear tends to provide more room for the foot and for orthotic inserts than a normal shoe. Diabetes shoes tend to be wider and deeper than most other shoes and can be fitted with comfortable insoles.

In most cases, diabetics will have shoes custom made in order to ensure that the shoe distributes weight properly and fits the foot perfectly. Having a custom-made shoe can prevent rubbing, chafing, and loss of circulation to the foot that a person with diabetes may not notice because of the loss of sensation in the foot.

In addition to being specialty-crafted for the diabetic individual, diabetes shoes and diabetic sandals also tend to be manufactured with breathable fibers, such as fabric or netting, so that the foot has healthy air circulation. Good air circulation allows the skin to breathe, which helps to prevent pressure ulcers and increases blood circulation.

How to Find a Good Pair of Diabetes Shoes

• Look for fabrics that "breathe," such as canvas or even sandals. Breathable fibers will prevent your foot from sweating, swelling, and chafing.

• The shoes should be deep enough to accommodate an orthotic insert and wide enough to prevent pinching.

• Avoid shoes that have interior seams, which may rub against the skin and cause chafing.

• The toe box in the front of the shoe needs to be roomy enough so that you can wiggle your toes.

• Elastic in the shoes may also help to prevent the shoe from sliding around on the foot while holding it comfortably in place.

People with diabetes are more prone to foot pain due to an increased risk of damage to nerves and blood vessels. You can help prevent these problems with the following tips:

• Wash your feet in warm water with mild soap every day, but don't soak them. Dry them well, especially between your toes.

• Check your feet every day for cuts, sores, blisters, redness, calluses, or any other problem. Call your doctor if healing doesn't start after one day.

• If your skin is dry, rub lotion on your feet after you wash and dry them. Do not put lotion between your toes.

• Gently file corns and calluses with an emery board or pumice stone (move it in only one direction). Do this after your bath or shower, when the skin is soft.

• Trim your toenails once a week or when needed. Cut them with a nail clipper straight across, then smooth the edges with an emery board. If you can't see or reach them, ask a family member or your health care team for help.

• Always wear slippers or shoes to protect your feet from injuries. Don't wear sandals and don't walk barefoot, even around the house.

• Always wear socks or stockings to avoid blisters. Choose a pair that fits your feet well and has soft elastic.

• Wear shoes and socks for diabetics that fit well. Shop for shoes at the end of the day when your feet are bigger. Break in shoes slowly. Wear them 1 to 2 hours each day for the first few weeks.

Talk to your doctor for more information about how you can take care of your feet. Remember: taking good care of your feet will help to prevent long-term problems like amputation.

Chicago Diabetes Statistics

In Chicago, diabetes is becoming a major problem. According to the National Institute of Health about 8.3% of the population has Diabetes. When you look at the percentage of pre-diabetes - that number is even larger. In 2005-2008, the NIH states that 35% of US adults 20 or older were pre-diabetic and for those 65 years or older that number jumps to 50%. According to the NIH if you applied those numbers to the entire US population about 79 million adults ages 20 or older have pre-diabetes. We're out of control.

What is going on? This is definitely a major epidemic out of control. The health and financial implications of this are more than we can handle. When you look at the cost of diabetes, not only for the individual, but also for our country - you can see how important it is to get this disease under control. Total costs currently for diabetes is expected to be about 174 billion dollars. It's estimated that diabetes alone is capable of bankrupting our economy in America. So obviously in larger cities, like Chicago, there are bigger financial tolls that the disease will take.

In a city like Chicago, there is also a wide array of ethnic groups. We know today that some ethnic populations are affected more so by diabetes than others, so how will the future of diabetes affect our different ethnic communities? We are beginning to see more and more diabetes education in Chicago, but we need so much more.

So what are we doing to change the course of diabetes in Chicago? Certainly the local hospitals are making an effort to market some classes and programs that they offer. The American Diabetes Association is also offering a diabetes expo and free screenings for the public. The only problem we have is that all the groups are teaching the same information; eat better, lose weight, and exercise.

Can we really expect that improving diabetes in Chicago is as simple as just changing your diet, exercising, and losing weight? We know today that type 2 diabetes is a complex disease of multiple organs in the body. We also know that exercise is helpful, but it's just not enough to rehab some of the organs that are commonly not working well for diabetics.

We can change where Chicago is headed with diabetes, but it's going to take a large effort. We also have to being to break away from the old and tired system that is not achieving the results that people with diabetes need.