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Shoes for People With Medical Problems

Those who shop for shoes at department stores and regular shoe stores do not understand how frustrating shoe shopping is for those with medical issues. If you suffer from foot pain, body imbalance or other health problems that affect your feet, you may dread shoe shopping. Luckily, there are a number of options for shoes for people with medical problems.

  1. What Affects Your Feet?

    • There are several reasons people experience foot pain or need special footwear. Some of these reasons are not even directly related to feet. If you have undergone medical procedures that resulted in the removal of lymph nodes, you may experience unbalanced swelling in your body. If this swelling occurs in the calves, ankles and feet, you could end up needing shoes in unmatched sizes. Arthritis and diabetes also can create food pain. If you experience severe foot pain because of these conditions, you will need shoes that make standing and walking possible. In addition to medical conditions causing foot pain, there are specific problems relating to the feet that can cause pain including ingrown toenails, corns, bunions, hammertoes and calluses.

    Diabetic Shoes

    • Diabetics sometimes experience loss of feeling in their feet. If wearing the wrong shoes, this can create a variety of other problems. If shoes are too tight or too loose, causing blisters, the wearer may not feel the pain of the blister. If not cleaned and covered, a blister can become infected. The same is true for other foot conditions. The key to dealing with injuries is the ability to feel the pain the injury causes. Without feeling, the problem can worsen. Diabetic shoes are custom-fit to a person's foot. Custom shoes will prevent foot injuries and may help you maintain feeling in your feet, in spite of diabetes.

    Different Size Feet

    • It is common for people to have two different size feet, but the difference for some people is so severe, they need two different sized shoes. Those who wear two different sized shoes have a few options for finding footwear. In addition to having shoes custom made to fit your feet, you can participate in shoe exchanges. Custom-fit shoes are expensive, so while you may be able to afford one or two pairs, it is unlikely you can create a shoe wardrobe with custom-fit footwear. Shoe exchanges enable people to trade shoes with other shoe buyers. These shoe exchanges also are used by amputees who only need one shoe. Organizations that provide unmatched shoe options include the National Odd Shoe Exchange and the Odd Shoe Finder.

    Uneven Legs

    • A common recommendation from doctors and physical therapists for people with uneven legs is to have a comfortable shoe altered to include a shoe or heel lift. This enables you to choose shoes that fit properly and look stylish, but still remedy the medical problem that plagues you. Some people use over-the-counter shoe inserts to ease the length discrepancy in their legs, but if the different is more than 1/4 inch, the insert makes the shoe tight and uncomfortable. Instead of trying to remedy the problem on your own, have your shoes specially made so your shoes fit properly and relieve your leg-length discrepancy.

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