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Newbie looking for advice on footwear

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Chaddy58

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Type 2
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Hi all. Just diagnosed type2 but Dr at hospital said my records showed I was high in 2017 and no one had picked up on it. I suffer from severe Peripheral Neuropathy in my hands and feet and balance issues. I’m currently flying blind trying to buy socks and shoes that are comfy and warm. A lot of things are really thin with no padding or warmth so get throw out, of course this is a costly route and I was hoping someone could point me in the right direction eg. Web-sites etc.
 
Bought Fitville footwear last year, extremely comfortable with good padding & they do wider sizes as well, best of all they are quite reasonable.
 
Cosyfeet are good they have website and do diabetic friendy shoes/socks eg no seams I buy all mine from them tHey can be pricey but ib footware you get wot you payfor
goosluck
gail
 
I suggest you have a look at Falke for socks. They make a range of double layer socks (cotton and wool) without elastic tops (especially for diabetics). The Berlin range has these two layers and the London range has only one layer. They are not cheap as they have to come from Germany.
 
I knit my own socks - always did from when I left home and was away from sock knitting family members.
For most of the year I don't wear socks though - my feet are perfectly OK in sandals - I buy boys' ones with closed toes, and I use lamb skin insoles for cushioning.
 
My favourite warm sock are the Nordic ones. My daughter got me some for Christmas one year, and I was so impressed I bought a set for my Dad, who has famously cold feet in the winter.

I have to wait until it’s quite chilly before wearing them or otherwise my feet get too hot 😱
 
I'm going to go the other way on this and of course I appreciate that this won't work for everyone.

However I've become, much to my own surprise, a big advocate of minimalist shoes for a number of reasons.

They help with balance - you're feet have side of the most densely packed nerve endings of anywhere on the body and that's because they are designed to sense slight imbalances, changing ground and everything else needed to get your body to stay upright. Putting loads of padding round them diminishes this ability.

They encourage blood flow to the feet as they are less insulated. It sounds bizarre but the warmest part of my body when I'm out running in sandals in -5c temperatures are my feet as that's where the blood goes.

They improve foot strength. Wearing comfy shoes causes your feet to lose the natural strength they have to self-support and wearing minimalist shoes really helps get this back.

You can get more insulated ones as well if cold feet are an issue.

They feel odd at first but I struggle to wear anything else now and my feet feel better than ever.

As I say - I totally get that they won't work for everyone, particularly with the specific issues you have, but sometimes cosseting our feet causes more issues than it fixes and minimal shoes could be worth a try.
 
everydayupsanddowns said:
My favourite warm sock are the Nordic ones. My daughter got me some for Christmas one year, and I was so impressed I bought a set for my Dad, who has famously cold feet in the winter.

I have to wait until it’s quite chilly before wearing them or otherwise my feet get too hot 😱
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My Daughter got me a couple of pairs of Nordic socks for Christmas and they are super soft and keep my feet nice and warm.
 
For every day wear in boots or garden wellies I swear by Bridgedale hiking socks. They have a gentle elasticated top which doesn't leave marks are a wool mix so comfortable and hard-wearing. Last lot I bought was from Cotswold Outdoors but that was over 3 years ago. No signs of wearing out yet.

Shoes or boots are very individual so I can only suggest trying on several different ones as mentioned in earlier posts. I have weird shaped feet anyway (duck feet as my hubby calls them ) with wide toe area and very narrow heels. Buying shoes or boots is always a nightmare. Sandals are better but I only wear them in summer ( or when the temperature hits 20°C 😎:rofl:)
 
silver minion said:
For every day wear in boots or garden wellies I swear by Bridgedale hiking socks. They have a gentle elasticated top which doesn't leave marks are a wool mix so comfortable and hard-wearing. Last lot I bought was from Cotswold Outdoors but that was over 3 years ago. No signs of wearing out yet.

Shoes or boots are very individual so I can only suggest trying on several different ones as mentioned in earlier posts. I have weird shaped feet anyway (duck feet as my hubby calls them ) with wide toe area and very narrow heels. Buying shoes or boots is always a nightmare. Sandals are better but I only wear them in summer ( or when the temperature hits 20°C 😎:rofl:)
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Thank you all very much
 
Chaddy58 said:
Wow, now I really see the value of being a member of this Forum it’s truly amazing. Writhing a day I have all these product and web sites. Thank you so very much
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let us know how you get on Dont spend to much ifnyou can help it
gail
 
I mix and match, just normal socks (somewhere, possibly Primark was doing padded foot ones which I found comfortable) but mostly now I have shoes on as well even working at the desk and especially downstairs where we have hard floors. I've got 4 pairs I'm happy with and alternate between them as soon as any of them feel uncomfortable with one pair I prefer for walking and another for the gym.
 
@dannybgoode it is good that you have found footwear that suits you.
However, sandals or open toes shoes are often discouraged for people with diabetes or at least people with/at risk of neuropathy. Well fitting, enclosed shoes protect our feet from being knocked and damaged. This risk with neuropathy is that we may not feel any damage which can result in further untreated damage.

I am not suggesting you need to change your footwear but do recommend you keep a very close eye on your feet for any damage.
 
helli said:
@dannybgoode it is good that you have found footwear that suits you.
However, sandals or open toes shoes are often discouraged for people with diabetes or at least people with/at risk of neuropathy. Well fitting, enclosed shoes protect our feet from being knocked and damaged. This risk with neuropathy is that we may not feel any damage which can result in further untreated damage.

I am not suggesting you need to change your footwear but do recommend you keep a very close eye on your feet for any damage.
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I'm not suggesting open toe shoes, rather minimalist shoes which are more usually fully enclosed.

I only mentioned the sandals to demonstrate how warm my feet are wearing them. That said, even with sandals-if you're careful it's quite hard to knock or otherwise damage your feet I've found and that's based on running many many Kms on trails in mine 🙂.

Wearing such footwear increases sensitivity and feeling in feet and makes them stronger plus it improves blood flow so imo there are benefits as well as risks.

Absolutely agree they're not for everyone however they are an option to explore...
 
I swear by bamboo socks, they are very soft and don't irritate. I usually get them from an online shop called BAM. I wait for them to have a sale and stock up. I don't have any foot problems but I hate anything rough against my feet or seams that I can feel.
Shoe wise I usually wear trainers in summer and Doc Martens in winter.
 
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