Preventative foot care is essential for people who live with diabetes. Perhaps the most important part of this preventative care is the shoes you wear.  While the rest of us may suffer through a night in six-inch heels, or force our feet into uncomfortable hiking boots, diabetics should not put up with foot pain, no matter how minor it seems at the time.  Calluses, corns, blisters, scrapes or other minor foot injuries can all lead to serious foot infections or foot ulcers.Several brands have developed shoes particularly designed for diabetics.  These shoes tend to provide the foot with considerable padding and a high-density sole designed to absorb shock.  Diabetic shoes should give you a “soft fit” – the fabric of the shoe should be smooth against your foot without seams or other features that could lead to blisters or hot spots. Many of them are designed to accommodate removable inserts, or are fastened with Velcro so that you can easily adjust the shoe’s size.  The upside is that diabetic shoes should be incredibly comfortable!  The downside is that they may not be as stylish as you would like. (I don’t know about you, but I’d say Velcro shoes went out of style somewhere around the 5th grade.)  They are not exactly the kind of shoes you want to put on when getting ready for a big night out. Luckily several well-respected brands of diabetic shoes have developed diabetic dress shoes that will protect your feet and look good while doing it.  Check out the “Trinket”, designed by PW Minor.  This dress shoe provides extra depth in the toe region and also has an anti-fungal, anti-bacterial brushed knit that lines the toe box.  Or look for the “Angie” from Drew Shoes, which has a removable insole and a steel shank that provides first-rate support.  Instead of Velcro, this shoe closes with a subtle black zipper on the side.  But like Velcro, the zipper can be adjusted to accommodate the swelling of the feet. For men, try the “Comfort Street” produced by Acor.  This good-looking shoe is made from a stretchable material that changes shape and size with your foot.  It is lined with a fiber called X-Static®, which contains a layer of silver (an effective anti-microbial element).  Another good option for men is PW Minor’s dress shoe known as “Sir”.  This shoe has an extra deep toe box and is made from soft leather that requires no time to break-in.  The ¾ inch wedge heel promotes stability, and the shoe comes with a removable insole that allows you to adjust the shoe’s size.

I wear very high heels everyday for work and also on the weekends. Open toes and closed toed. In the ball of my foot on both feet, there is a harder area in a circle. It has been hurting soooo bad lately. If I have been wearing high heels all day and I take them off it actually throbs with pain. Does anyone know what it is? And how to get rid of them? I know what calluses are and I dont know if thats what it is….

I have diabetes and I need to take care of my feet. So obviously, the pains of wearing high heels without socks including bunions, blisters, calluses, and cuts are not good for my health. They don’t heal with people that have diabetes. Unfortunately I wear a lot of capri style panty hose under my skirts, and I need something that I can wear in my mary janes and my pumps that won’t show, but will protect the bottom of my feet. Any suggestions?

Fashions in high heels change fast and women want to wear the latest designs. High heels make women look taller, slimmer and more alluring. But the price a woman has to pay to wear high heels can be pretty high. It’s not the cost of the high heels, but the damage they can do to the feet that needs to be avoided. When wearing high heels the pressure is on the toes and the balls of the feet. If pointed high heels are in fashion there is very little you can do to avoid getting a pair.

Well before you can make your high heels more tranquil; make certain you purchase the perfect high heels. Be prudent when shopping for high heels. First, make sure to get your feet measured when you go to shop for high heels. This may sound insane, but feet do grow larger with time and in pregnancy. Try and purchase a pair that has round toes.

Avoid buying pointed toes high heels if you can. If you have feet that are wide then ask for a wider pair. Try on the high heels, walk around in them. If they are comfortable then buy them, else shop around. Don’t buy high heels that have hard leather, try and get a pair with soft leather. Don’t go for high heels that are too high. Don’t wear high heels for an extended period of time. If you plan on wearing high heels daily then your feet are going to get ravaged. Even wearing high heels for a dance party can damage your feet.

You can make your high heels more relaxed by following a few instructions. If you have got a pair with conical toes then place some cotton in the toes of the high heels to guard your toes. Put arch supports in the high heels. If you feel that your feet are getting sprained from the sides place some cushioning on the sides. Now that you have your high heels ready now you have to get ready your feet also.

Remember extended wear of high heels can cause blisters, calluses and corns on your feet. You definitely don’t want to be seen limping in your high heels.

So take some band aid or moleskin squares and put them on your feet. Cover them around your toes, the sides of your feet and most notably on your heels. It’s the toes, the heels and the balls of the feet that get injured wearing high heels. So protecting these areas is going to keep your feet from getting damaged.

Also apply a cream or lotion on the feet to make them malleable and agile. Sometimes it even makes logic to pat some oil on the inner shell of the high heels to make the leather elastic. But you only do this when you are not using the high heels. If you follow these simple tips then you can guard your feet from getting damaged by wearing high heels.

Hopefully by following this advice you will be able to wear high heels without ravaging your feet.