When you are diagnosed with diabetes, doctors tell you about blood sugar, insulin, and diet. They often forget to have the serious talk about your shoes. But ask any podiatrist, and they will tell you that footwear choices are often the catalyst for the most severe diabetic complications.
High blood sugar damages the nerves (neuropathy) and reduces blood flow to the feet. This means you might not feel a blister forming or a pebble in your shoe until it becomes a festering ulcer. A simple shoe rub can turn into a wound that won’t heal, leading to infection and, tragically, amputation. As a health writer, I’ve compiled the list of shoes that podiatrists wish you would throw in the trash right now.
