Peripheral Neuropathy Footwear

The Need for Peripheral Neuropathy Footwear

Peripheral neuropathy indicates the progressive muscle weakness in the feet, lower legs, hands and forearms. There will also be some loss of sensation in the toes, feet and fingers. This is what makes the disease so dangerous, and diabetics or AIDS sufferers so prone to the need for amputation – when the neuropathy is advanced, you can’t feel when you are putting too much pressure on the foot. That can create an ulcer, but the diabetic will not feel the pain, thus worsening the condition. When diabetes or AIDS are present, you have to be acutely proactive about your body and assess your feet regularly for signs of distress.

What Peripheral Neuropathy Footwear Should Provide

Wearing the right shoes helps a great deal. What you want are shoes that accommodate swelling, are seamless, soft and supportive and allow for custom inserts, should that extra support be necessary. If you don’t yet need specific peripheral neuropathy footwear, you still must have shoes with a high, wide toe box (you must be able to wiggle your toes), soles designed to reduce pressure on the ball of the foot, and firm heel counters.

Orthopedic shoes are often designed with Plastazote, a foam that can accommodate pressure by conforming to heat. It customizes to the foot, thus giving extra protection, although of course you should still be checking your feet for any irregularities.

Choices in Protective Footwear

The good news is that if your peripheral neuropathy is caught early, you can continue to wear non-orthotic shoes so long as you maintain good foot health. Shoes by reputable designers such as Birkenstock, Crocs, Dansko, Ecco, New Balance and Apex will all be supportive and are made to fit a foot exactly. You can also consult with your doctor as to other shoes you might be interested in.

When you need something a bit more custom designed for your foot problems, try specialized shops such as Eneslow. They have storefronts but you can also shop online and contact them with particular needs. In addition to selling inserts and assistive devices, they can custom-make shoes to order. If you’re someone who’s been a real shoe-lover, this can be a great way to get something that is still expressive but takes care of your feet.

Pedors has orthopedic shoes for men, women and children. Most of them do look like orthopedics, but the classic Mary Janes manage to be fairly innocuous, and there are clogs and loafers that won’t attract negative attention.

You can do even better, however, at Foot Care, which has shoes designed with podiatrists’ input. They have a nice selection of CrocsRX, which look to be some of the best new shoes for sufferers of peripheral neuropathy ever. So far, they only come in black, but hopefully they will start being designed in the full range of Crocs colors. Foot Care also carries the Aetrex Essence Beth Wraparound Mary Jane, which looks like any trendy little flat.

Men’s orthopedic shoes tend to come only in black as well, which is at least an improvement on the hideous grays of the past. Most of them look like basic sneakers or Oxfords. Again, you can ask Eneslow if they can design a loafer or dress shoe that won’t look too “medical.”

Overall, selections for shoes designed to support troubled feet have improved dramatically, better guaranteeing that, though you have peripheral neuropathy, you don’t have to suffer.