On the market there is a wide choice of safety shoes, and at first sight they look all the same, although there are actually great differences among the various types. In this article my goal is to give you some advice about the best safety shoes for diabetics.
I will try to give you an idea of what problems can be avoided by using the right kind of safety shoes.
I am sure this article will be a big help to you so that you will be able to choose the perfect pair of safety shoes for your condition.
Unstable blood sugar levels may damage many parts of your body, including the nerves and veins which go to the feet. For this reason people with diabetes have higher chances of developing foot issues. Wearing safety shoes for diabetics can help reduce such risks and improve blood circulation in the feet.
Diabetes and foot issues
Having high sugar levels contributes to bad circulation, and can even damage the nerves of the feet, a condition called neuropathy. This disease may cause loss of sensation in your feet, which may make it difficult to realize if there are any wounds on your feet, which could in turn lead to infections. In addition to that bad circulation can make it harder for injuries and infections to heal.
Pain and ulcers with diabetic foot: causes and treatments
You may get open sores on the toes or on the soles of your feet, calluses, or areas of hardened skin. The following conditions are more likely to occur in people with diabetes.
- bursitis
- calluses
- fungal infection
- gangrene
Nerve damage may even change the shape of your feet. Indeed, diabetics also have higher chances of developing mallet fingers (also called hammer fingers), a disease consisting in the fingers being permanently bent inwards.
Even those foot problems which may appear insignificant, such as blisters or athlete’s foot, can be a source of concern for people with diabetes. Due to bad circulation in that zone of the body, any injury or condition will take longer than normal to heal, and wounds may even get worse and turn into dangerous infections it they are neglected. That is why any problem you notice on your feet must be carefully monitored. The use of the right type of safety shoes can help to prevent foot issues.
Safety shoes for diabetics
Wearing safety footwear for diabetics can reduce the chances of having complications with your feet. Diabetics should be aware of the importance of taking care of their feet. That’s why the choice of safety footwear is a key factor.
When it comes to choosing the right safety footwear for diabetics, it is important to opt for a model which fits the shape of your feet, and which distributes the weight evenly.
The importance of the right safety footwear for the shape of your feet
This point is very important for people suffering from diabetes: your shoes should be wide and long, but of course not too much.
If your shoes are too short there’s a risk to develop conditions like mallet toes, blisters, calluses and ruined nails.
Calluses and ruined nails and toes are a common problem when the toes don’t have enough space to move, and hence rub against the toecap. Blisters can occur both on and around the toes, and on the heels as well, if the shoes are too tight.
If your shoes are not wide enough your feet can be squeezed and they could rub against the inner sides of the shoe, leading to calluses, blisters and bursitis.
Choose the right size
To make sure you get safety shoes with the right shape for your feet it’s advisable you mesure your feet before going shopping.
Always check whether your feet show any signs of excessive adhesion to the shoes, such as reddening or marks on the skin. If you have doubts about a pair of new or used shoes, you may decide to see a podiatrist.
Choose good footwear
Natural materials, like leather and knitted or crocheted fabrics are the best ones for safety shoes for diabetics, because they provide support and limit perspiration. High heels should be avoided, when possible.
Choose footwear which adapts to the shape of your feet and avoid strange shapes, like pointy shoes.
Check your feet
It is important that you check your feet daily to detect any signs of lesions or friction caused by the contact with the shoes. It is also important to notice any gradual change in the shape of your feet.
Tips for choosing the right safety shoes for diabetics
One of the biggest problems related to diabetes is reduced sensibility in the feet due to bad circulation.
Remember to opt for particularly comfortable safety shoes with few seams on the inner side. On the market there are models made specifically for diabetics, but in any case you should look for the following characteristics when you’re planning to make a purchase:
- Wide shoes
- shoes with very soft insoles, possibly with gel
- shoes with high-quality lining which lets humidity and sweat through
- Shoes with wide toecaps
- Shoes with soft and high-quality leather
- Shoes with user-friendly closing systems, such as Boa System or Lock System
On the problem of the diabetic’s foot, which must adapt to a safety shoe, there is a necessary premise: diabetes is a very serious problem that must be addressed on a case-by-case basis by contacting your doctor who, evaluating each case will give the best advice to the patient.
Having said that, all we have to do now is to understand what there is in the safety shoe market today that can adapt more or less to the needs of a diabetic foot.
It must be said that on the market we happened to see products specifically designed for the diabetic foot with exorbitant costs (350/400 €) with the features that we will list here: oversized safety toe cap, seamless inner lining, multilayer insole , absence of any protrusion inside the shoe.
For those who cannot spend these figures, all we need to do is look for a safety shoe that has not been specifically designed for these cases but has similar features, therefore safety shoes with a very wide toe cap, with a quality inner lining, with a good inner sole, of an adequate thickness, a shoe that allows the foot to sit inside it avoiding as much as possible pressure points inside between the shoe and the foot in order to avoid scratches and grazes on the foot; this is why we often recommend a fairly wide shoe so as to avoid too much contact between the foot and the shoe, which always happens when the shoe is too tight.
To complete, it is much better if the shoe is also equipped with a quick lacing system.
Extra wide SAFETY SHOES, selected by SafetyShoesToday
Amazon.co.uk
Amazon.co.uk
Amazon.co.uk
Amazon.co.uk
Velcro fastening safety shoes, selected by SafetyShoesToday
Amazon.co.uk
Amazon.co.uk
Amazon.co.uk
BOA fastening safety shoes, selected by SafetyShoesToday
Amazon.co.uk
Safety shoes for diabetics: Conclusions
Those were some small tricks and hints you can use to choose the perfect type of safety shoes for your condition.
As soon as you learn the ropes and you get the right safety footwear for your needs, you will experience better comfort at work.
I assure you that if you wear the right type of safety footwear you will live a better work experience.
What’s your opinion on the subject?
Safety shoes for diabetics. Do you have anything to add?
Leave us a comment below!
Do you have ladies size 7 safety shoes for my site work. I’m a diabetic on insulin
Hello Madam
We don’t sell directly, we just suggest a selection of styles that might help, so you will have to check the shoe you like and see if the vendor supplies the size that you’re looking for, in your country
Best regards
Robert
https://www.safetyshoestoday.com
Hi, I would like to know what research has been conducted on the safety shoes to promote diabetic patients to wear them. I am currently doing a piece of research which shows that safety shoes with steel toes caps are actually causing the very foot problems they should be protecting especially to people with diabetes.
Please can you reply
Thanks
KBains
Diabetes Specialist Podiatrist.
First of all thank you so much for contacting us. We are much more than pleased for replying to your comment.
Our website comes from European experience, and this article is based on the study of a product that is available in Europe that is unfortunately not available in the US.
https://www.uvex-safety.com/blog/diabetes-and-the-uvex-motion-3xl-safety-shoe/
This specific product for diabetics costs about 350€ (400$) and most of workers cannot spend that money so we have tried to replicate the features of this specific product to more affordable products, wide footwear and wide footwear with fast and precise closing system.
They will surely have a better result on people with this kind of problem than a safety shoe/boot choosen with no criteria at all.
We hope that soon an American manufacturer will put in commerce an affordable diabetic safety shoe