It is natural to get fed up with all the changes you have to make in your life after a diabetes diagnosis, starting with a new diet, special testing strips and extra medication. For many, diabetic shoes can seem like one “step” too far when it comes to making accommodations for their condition.
Yet it pays to understand why seeking out custom diabetic shoes in Arkansas may be worth the effort. Because people with diabetes frequently lose some feeling in their feet, minor injuries can go unnoticed, quickly turning into more serious health problems. Calluses can become ulcers, sweaty soles can become infections – and these are just some of the diabetic amputation risk factors.
Accommodating Current Foot Issues
If you have been experiencing tingling or periodically numb feet, peripheral neuropathy may be the culprit. More than half of diabetes patients will experience some form of peripheral neuropathy in their feet, which often involves numbness.
Another frequent, and serious, side effect of diabetes is high blood sugar, which can cause poor circulation as the blood vessels tighten. As access to adequate blood circulation plummets, any foot problems will be slower to heal.
Failing to compensate for foot numbness or poor circulation can lead to diabetic amputation risk factors. Blisters and calluses may result in serious infection. Some people have even broken bones or stepped on sharp objects without realizing it, another infection or permanent deformity risk.
Preventing Potential Problems
One of the reasons people with diabetes hesitate about getting specialized shoes is that they do not currently have any foot problems. Yet podiatric issues can happen all too suddenly for diabetes patients who fail to consider customized footwear in time to prevent future problems.
Diabetic shoes cut down on the incidence of infection by allowing for more air circulation, which prevents perspiration from building up. In addition, diabetic shoes are built without interior seams, and with soft fabric. In addition, shoes customized for your feet reduce the chances of bruising, cuts, and other injuries.
Exploring Covered Costs
If you have Medicare Part B, you will find it covers a wide variety of diabetic footwear options, including fitting and furnishing a pair custom-molded shoes each year, or two new pairs of inserts per year. The prescribing doctor must be enrolled in the plan in order for it to be covered.
It is important to work with your doctor’s office staff to determine exactly how much will be covered, depending on what type of Medicare or other insurance you have. Chances are, if the final out-of-pocket expenses are within an acceptable range for you, you will be glad you made the investment to increase your safety and comfort, and certainly to decrease your diabetic amputation risk factors.
Along with custom molded shoes, we also offer diabetic socks and accessories, shoe modifications, and diabetic insoles. If you have any questions about custom diabetic shoes in Arkansas, contact us at (501) 683-8889 to find out what is available for your specific needs.
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