A lot of diabetic socks in the market are designed to maintain the dryness of your feet, minimize the incidence of a foot injury and stop the prevention or slow-down of blood flow. They are mostly created using materials that possess sophisticated abilities of moisture-wicking. They are padded, fitted, non-binding and zero seams. Diabetic socks are different from the regular socks in that they are seamless and non-elastic. Through getting rid of the elastic, you are minimizing constriction, which mostly happens in swelling that may limit blood circulation.
Why do diabetic people need diabetic socks?
The people who have diabetes have a higher risk of issues that may include foot injuries and infections. You may fail to notice it; however, high blood sugar levels could lead to damage to crucial parts of the body like the nervous and circulatory system. An example of such damage is nerve damage, which is also called neuropathy. The common neuropathy affects feet nerves.
Signs that indicate diabetic neuropathy: toe and feet numbness, weakness of muscles, sharp feet pain which gets worse during the night, foot ulcers and deformities and burning or tingling sensations in your feet.
When you have the diabetic neuropathy, and you no longer feel your feet, it is likely to get an injury and fail to feel it forever. A pebble that is caught in your shoe, for example, could rub with the foot and lead to the formation of an ulcer. When you fail to examine your feet for such injuries, they could get worse and lead to an infection. The proper diabetic nourishment implies you do a regular check-up of your feet for daily injuries, diseases, and blisters.
It is essential for people with diabetes to wear diabetic socks because diabetes usually slows down blood flow from and to the feet. When the blood does not flow properly from your feet to the heart feet and legs will swell, which is also known as Edema. When the blood is stuck in your veins, it could lead to the formation of blood clots which could flow to your lungs and cause pulmonary embolism or your brain leading to stroke, that could be fatal.
Arteries take the blood from your heart to every part of the body like the legs. When diabetes is controlled poorly, arteries could get blocked with fat deposits and scar tissue. This condition is referred to as peripheral arterial disease (PAD). Following the University Of California San Francisco Medical Center, individuals who have diabetes are at 2 to 4 times at risk of contracting PAD than individuals without diabetes.
According to endocrinologist Greenwald W. Bonnie, MD, the poor circulation of blood makes it difficult for your body to receive healing, which boosts the risk for gangrene and skin ulcers or the death of tissue. The final solution could be a foot or leg amputation. That is why you require diabetic socks. Diabetic socks could boost blood circulation in the legs and feet and protect feet from infection and injury.
Diabetic socks ensure your feet are safe from injury. Following the Sigvaris Medical tool organization, most of the diabetic socks are soft, offer padding on the foot sole and has to conform to your leg or feet without the wrinkles that may irritate your skin. They have to free from any sharp objects; therefore they are seamless or feature flat seams against foot or toes.
According to the Sigvaris website the Fibers have to be even, rather than thin spots which could allow friction. The diabetic socks are designed to reduce the occurrence of a foot injury, to provide maximum blood circulations and ensure the feet are dry. Diabetic socks have to be seamless because the regular socks that have seams cause friction against your skin and could lead to ulcer/blister formation that is not good for the diabetic feet.
Diabetic socks are also non-constricting and loose. Tight socks could hinder the flow of blood, which could be a challenge for people who have circulatory problems. They should also have additional cushioning and padding for the sensitive places to offer comfort and assist in preventing injury. Usually, the extra padding is found along the sock’s bottom, near the toes and at the heel foot.
Diabetes could cause restriction of blood vessels, reducing circulation to your foot. Diabetic socks are made using fabrics which maintain warmth on the feet to aid in increasing flow of blood. The diabetic socks are also made using fabrics of more delicate texture for reducing abrasion.
Benefits of wearing Diabetic Socks
- Moisture-wicking- the materials can maintain the dryness of your feet and making the extra moisture fail to create a breeding place for fungi.
- The antimicrobial features prohibit the growth of fungi and bacteria
- They reduce the swelling and improve the comfort
- They ensure your feet are warm to boost circulation
- The seamless socks could reduce the danger of blisters and rub, which may finally cause a foot ulcer for neuropathic people or those with chronic hyperglycemia
- Diabetic socks have additional padding for sensitive places like the foot sole; can be instrumental in preventing foot injury. The socks with white soles could assist in alerting diabetic people of a draining wound.
Who require wearing of diabetic socks?
For most people without the foot issues, also could wear because they are comfortable, fitted, non-binding and minus uncomfortable seams, which will meet most people. You also could use these types of socks on different kinds of occasions, such as in the gym, or outdoor hiking and other intense physical activity. Moreover, those people who have a lot of foot sweat or moisture could require these socks because they have a high ability to keep the feet dry and decrease fungal infection recurrence. For those individuals with foot issues or are prone to neuropathy as well as decreased circulation then the diabetic socks could be of great help.
Things to look out before purchasing diabetic socks
When you are looking to buy diabetic socks, ensure that you are purchasing the appropriate ones. You should get advice from your doctor before the purchasing of diabetic socks to ensure that you can wear them with little worry about safety.
The following are some of the information to keep in your mind when searching for diabetic socks and why they are beneficial for you in your shopping spree:
- Seamless: socks that are designed using fabrics with no seams decrease the risk of rubbing with your feet and leading to blister formation.
- Copper-Infused: created using yarn infused with copper; these types of socks are ideal for getting rid of the athlete's foot infection because they have antifungal abilities. For instance, if you have a foot infection which transfers from your sock to the insole, the socks are meant to hinder reinjection on the subsequent wears.
- Moisture-wicking: Diabetic socks should be able to extract the excess moisture from your foot to evaporate the sweat, which minimizes infection and fungi infection and keeps away the odor. A dry foot implies more protection from the formation of blisters or wounds.
- Padded acrylic diabetic socks: if you do a lot of exercises then you have to look for diabetic padded acrylic socks because of the boost the dryness of your feet and minimize any occurrence of blistering. The acrylic fibers possess better abilities of moisture wicking and are also ideal for individuals with little sensation or neuropathy since the additional padding could aid in preventing the foot injuries.
- Gel Padding: the diabetic socks should have gel padding to aid in wicking moisture, protection against injury and minimizing irritation.
- Smart technology: depending on the amount you would like to spend on diabetic socks. You could choose socks in regards to if they possess smart technology. Diabetic socks should contain embedded sensors which track the temperature of your feet, and it alerts you through the app in case there is any change like an ulcer or sore that is forming.
Selecting the appropriate diabetic socks could also imply the balance of a food fit with the pair which will not limit the circulation. In case you have a slow blood circulation because of diabetes, you should refrain from the very tight socks.
There are two types of seamless diabetic socks that you could have a look. The seamless long and short diabetic socks available in our stores are ideal for diabetics, arthritic people or edema because they have an unconstrained design. They also have innovative fiber comprised of unique ore fiber and bamboo charcoal to ensure the physical exercise receives more energy.
These types of socks also boost performance. The seamless weaving sock top permits proper aeration and helps with the regulation of heat and circulation of blood. They are also very breathable because they have mesh ventilation on the instep to allow your feet to breathe and release away heat.
The only difference between these two types of socks is their length.
Written by: MoShot