subject: If You are Diabetic, You Probably Need to Find New Shoes [print this page] If You are Diabetic, You Probably Need to Find New Shoes
Medicare will cover up to eighty percent of the cost of special shoes for diabetics. This is because of how significantly the shoes you wear impact your health. However, Medicare will only cover the cost once you already have documented problems with your feet. While many people will eventually become eligible, the point is to avoid having foot problems as long as possible.Diabetics generally have poor sensation, and a poorly fitting shoe will cause abnormal rubbing of the skin. A normal person would feel pain if their shoes did not fit properly, but a diabetic person may not feel anything at all, and the friction and pressure of improperly fitting shoes will eventually produce sores and other chronic problems. Furthermore, diabetics do not heal very well which means that any simple sore can lead to problems, including infections. Something that seems as simple as a tight fitting shoe in a normal person could eventually lead to amputation of the diabetic foot.Not only do diabetics have to deal with reduced sensitivity, they also have to deal with the fact that their feet are always changing. Diabetes brings swelling along with the numbness. The swelling can be quite variable depending on the stage of your diabetes, how well you are managing your blood glucose levels, etc. But what it means when buying shoes is that you need to plan on your feet being wider than average; but more importantly, you need to plan on change.A diabetic shoe is basically a combination of a special orthopedic insert designed to reduce pressure and friction inside of an extra deep shoe designed to not only fit the length and width of a person's foot, but also the height of their foot. This shoe is intended to fit a foot of any size and shape. However, it should also be able to adjust somewhat as the foot size changes while and minimizing the potential for toe compression or friction.While not everyone needs diabetic shoes, if your doctor says you do, then Medicare will help you get them once a year, and then cover the cost of inserts three times a year. To be eligible you must currently be under the care of a physician, be undergoing a comprehensive treatment program, and have some sort of current foot condition (i.e. chronic foot sores, corns, reduced nerve sensitivity, poor circulation, hammertoes, bunions, etc.). Your doctor would determine if you are eligible for the Medicare reimbursement and he will write the prescription for you.Unfortunately, Medicare is only interested in your feet if you already have a condition that needs protection. For all the millions of diabetics that have not gotten that far yet or are not on Medicare, prescription diabetic shoes are not necessarily possible. The next best alternative is to find quality comfortable wide shoes that can have orthopedic inserts, such as most shoes made by Propet. Propet shoes will have varying size and width options, but may not necessarily have shoes built with extra height in mind; but if you need extra height, they also offer a wide variety of sandals that are fully capable of fitting taller feet and will cost closer to $60 online rather than the hundreds of dollars specialty shoes cost.Wearing appropriate shoes is one of the key ways that diabetics can protect their feet. If you have diabetes, you are likely to have foot problems if you diabetes worsens or when you age. The key to minimizing your foot problems is to start taking care of them early. That means wearing shoes with plenty of width that also fit snug enough to minimize rubbing, and even with the right pair of shoes, regularly examine your feet for sores and other signs that something might be wrong with your shoes. Then, if you find something, address it with your podiatrist immediately.
