Diabetic neuropathy of the foot is the most common complication of diabetes over the long term. If diabetes is well controlled by keeping your blood sugar levels in check then you are far less likely to have problems with peripheral neuropathy symptoms but even still the constant threat of foot problems is always lurking.
If you haven’t yet already I hope your read my post on diabetic neuropathy in feet to get a handle on what this condition is all about before diving into the nuts and bolts of this article. But for those short on time I’ll summarize the concept.
What Is Diabetic Foot Neuropathy?
Neuropathy of the foot is quite simple on the surface. When someone with diabetes doesn’t check their blood sugar levels very often and doesn’t eat the best foods for high blood sugar they run the risk of increasing their blood sugar levels even more. This often leads to chronically high blood sugar levels often the result of insulin resistance.
As insulin resistance increases in the body the pancreas then starts producing more insulin to help decrease the levels of glucose in the blood stream. In the short run this is a work-around the body performs to bring blood sugar back into a safe range however over the long term the chronically elevated levels of blood sugar and insulin in the blood slowly cause damage to the nerve endings in the body.
The first effected nerves are typically the longest nerves in the body, or the nerves running into your feet. As these nerves slowly degrade over time the sensation can start to wane. This decrease in sensation in the nerve endings is called neuropathy and as you can surmise neuropathy of the feet is the most common location for neuropathy to occur in diabetics.
Obviously the best thing a diabetic can do to prevent neuropathy is to check your blood sugar levels and learn how to naturally lower your blood sugar levels through diet and exercise. You can also see this article to learn more about what normal glucose levels are.
But what happens when you already have diabetic foot neuropathy?
Buy Shoes For Neuropathy To Protect Your Feet
If you have neuropathy then the most important thing you can do is to get active and eat right. To stay active however you have to protect your feet. Neuropathy makes it very easy to harm your feet through normal activities as well as exercise so neuropathy shoes are a must. They make it easy to check your feet for injuries while minimizing the chances of foot injuries even when you can’t feel your feet very well or even at all.
What Makes A Good Pair Of Neuropathy Shoes?
Neuropathy shoes need to do two things well. They need to make it easy to check for foot injuries and they need to prevent foot injuries in those who have little or no feeling in their feet.
Easy On Easy Off Shoes
To make it easy to check for injuries many shoes for diabetic neuropathy are not laced but Velcroed. This makes it easy to loosen and remove shoes at any time compared to lace shoes. One other popular type of diabetic footwear are slip-on shoes which cover the entire foot. These shoes sometimes cover the entire heel up to the ankle using a stretch material on the top making it easy to put the shoe on and take it off. Others only wrap up the lower part of the heel leaving the ankle exposed but making it much easier to put on and remove the shoes at any given time.
There are no hard rules but many people will wear the slip on variety of shoe in the home, much like one would wear slippers, and the Velcro diabetic shoes out of the home. This allows a diabetic to stay functional even while on the job and very comfortable in the home.
Sturdy Shoes That Protect The Foot
The other main function of good shoes for neuropathy is the ability to protect the foot against injury, even in those who cannot feel their feet. There are a number of ways to accomplish this and many standard shoes can satisfy many of these needs but the best neuropathy shoes will be deep shoes. They will have inserts which are removable. This allows for the insertion of custom orthotics of diabetic insoles which are fit perfectly to the shape of the diabetic foot. If you don’t need this then the shoe comes with a standard insole but the feature should exist.
Additionally neuropathy shoes should be wider than normal shoes to accommodate orthotics if they are needed and disfigured feet. Many diabetics with neuropathy have disfigured feet from prior injuries and a good neuropathy shoe would be designed to accommodate these special needs.
Aside from the physical dimensions of the ideal shoes for diabetic neuropathy should be plush on the inside, which minimizes pressure points and irritation. They should breathe easy, which helps to keep the foot dry and healthy. They should be made with study materials which can adequately protect the foot from bumps, scrapes, dropped objects, and stubbed toes. Many diabetic shoes are made from the same materials used in diabetic boots. Lastly the shoe should not restrict blood flow in the region, meaning it should not fit or bind to tightly. For more on this see this article on foot circulation.
Where To Buy Shoes For Neuropathy?
Looking to buy a cheap pair of shoes for neuropathy? They may be more expensive than you’d like. Many shoes are billed as diabetic shoes because of their size and shape but many of the really good neuropathy shoes are priced in the one hundred to two hundred dollar range. Medicare Part B does cover diabetic shoes in certain circumstances so consider that option for an 80 percent discount but if you go that route your options will be more limited.
Some good places to buy diabetic shoes are specialty retailers which are devoted to the needs of diabetics. Footsmart has a wide selection of Drew Diabetic shoes. Dr. Zen diabetic shoes has a good variety of cheaper shoes that are just fine for diabetic neuropathy but the brands are far less known. Other options include Type Free Diabetes, Active Forever and the old stalwart Amazon.
Be sure to read up on practicing the best diabetic foot care you can and don’t forget the value in wearing proper diabetic socks with your shoes as well. If your sock rubs you the wrong way then it doesn’t really matter that you’re wearing neuropathy shoes then doesn’t it?
