Socks For Diabetics

Wearing shoes at all times will help protect your feet from injury. Just as important is wearing the right socks so that the shoes themselves don’t irritate the skin of your feet. Socks can offer a layer of protection and cushioning between your shoe and your foot and serve to keep cold feet warm.

The best socks and hosiery are seamless to avoid creating any pressure points and resulting foot ulcerations that can lead to serious consequences when wounds don’t heal well. Diabetic socks are specially designed with moisture-wicking properties to keep feet dry and promote good air circulation around the foot, keeping feet dry, especially between the toes where ulcers, irritation and other forms of skin breakdown can occur. Many diabetes socks come in white or with white tips that make it easy to see blood from an injury.

Socks should also be non-constricting, meaning they don’t exert a surface pressure greater than 15 mmHg to make sure that circulation in the feet won’t be further impaired—high compression socks are not for people with diabetes unless specifically prescribed by your doctor. A diabetic sock usually has a thicker sole than the standard sock. Together, the shoes and the diabetic socks should fit the feet snugly but not tightly.

Here are the key features to look for:

• seamless design
• fibers that control bacterial growth and minimize odor while keeping feet dry
• flat knit toe seam to avoid irritation
• cushioned sole for ultimate comfort
• comfortable but not binding arch and ankle support