What Does a Diabetic Sock Do?

Foot care is the key to managing your diabetes. If you are a diabetic patients, chances are high that your feet become sensitive and you may suffer a number of foot conditions. Diabetic socks play a vital role in protecting your feet and controlling your diabetes simultaneously.

You may have never suffered any feet conditions prior to becoming a diabetic, but the condition demands you wear good quality shoes and socks all the time. Here is where diabetic socks are the most helpful.

Diabetic Socks

Diabetic socks are beneficial because they safeguard your diabetic foot, owing to their unique design and features. Diabetic socks are different your regular pairs because they exist solely to ease the conditions of diabetes. With diabetic socks, you are far less likely to develop foot problems and stay healthy and comfortable for long.

Foot ulcers are the greatest threat for diabetic patients and any negligence here could bring severe complications. If you wish to save yours legs, feet and toes from amputation, you must give diabetic socks priority. As per experts in this field, one can prevent the loss of limbs up to eighty percent with proper care.

It is important to note that wearing diabetic socks is just as essential as wearing shoes particularly suited for diabetic patients. A vast number of diabetic patients suffer from peripheral vascular disease and diabetic neuropathy.

Neuropathy is a condition that wrecks your nerves and ultimately causes you to lose sensation in your feet and legs. Lack on sensation in your feet can be exceptionally harmful, since you will be unable to detect an accidental cut or wound. Lack of feeling will also make your feet numb to hot and cold sensations and result in deadly complications.

The peripheral disease on the other hand narrows down the blood vessels, consequentially bringing the blood flow down to a trickle to your feet and legs. This in return greatly hinders the healing of sores and cuts and increases the chances of deadly ulcers. However, those diabetic patients who fortunately do not suffer from such complications can still manage without using diabetic socks.

Functions of Diabetic Socks

The primary function of diabetic socks include:

• Cushioning your feet
• Protecting your feet from fungal infections
• Keeping your feet fresh and dry
• Regulating a healthy blood flow to your feet

Features

When you go searching for the best pair of diabetic socks, here are the features you must look for:

Soft Yarns

Fabrics with finer textures make the best diabetic socks because they feel luxuriously soft against your skin. The priority is to keep away shear forces and rough abrasion on your sensitive skin. Look for bamboo fibers when you go diabetic socks shopping.

Anti-Microbial

Your feet have moisture prone areas where fungi and bacteria can quickly build up. To prevent this from happening, the best diabetic socks will feature an anti-microbial technology that stops the buildup of fungi and bacteria. Your feet will not only remain healthy but also odorless and fresh in the absence of fungi and bacteria.

Moisture-Wicking

We are in the age of technology and why shouldn’t diabetic socks take advantage of that? The modern diabetic socks complete with an advanced technology where special yarn knitting ensures you have a healthy foot.

The best moisture drying, synthetic yarns are nylon and polyester and their drying time is faster than other fabrics. Dry feet are less likely to develop infections and keep you comfortable for longer periods.

White Sole

White soles are very effective in alerting you about sores, open cuts and wounds. Stains from any infections your feet have developed will be immediately visible on white sole. You may not be able to feel the draining wound others because diabetic patients have a compromised sensation, as is common knowledge.

At the same time, it is also important to give immediate attention to infections, cuts and wounds in diabetic patients to save them from fatal complications. Diabetic socks with white soles sound a pretty good alarm in this regard.

Warmth

Diabetes restricts your blood vessels and causes a poor circulation for your feet. Diabetic socks that have a warm fabric can eliminate this problem as well. Warm materials provide a cocoon for your feet and regulate a healthy blood circulation.

Padding

The best diabetic socks are those that have extra padding. The super sensitivity in your feet during diabetes can increases the chances of injury. However, extra padding not only provides added comfort but also extra protection.

Look for the padding around the heel of your foot, the toes and also where the bottom of the diabetic sock is. These are the highly vulnerable areas of your feet and more prone to injuries during activities. This is why extra padding is necessary in such areas.

Non-Constricting

You have to remember that diabetic socks are essentially super stretchy and non-restricting. The looser the design, the better it is for your feet. You should barely be able to feel you are wearing any socks, such should be the design.

A restricted circulation is the last thing you want if you’re a diabetic. It is not uncommon knowledge how a restricted circulation can create circulatory issues.

Seamless

As a normal and healthy person, tiny protrusions would not be a cause of concern in the least. However, as a diabetic patient it could wreak havoc for you. If you wear socks with seams, you would allow for ulcers and blisters to form as the material rubs against your skin.

Diabetic socks should be seamless and have an inverse linked knitting. This will eliminate the fear of any infection for your feet.

The highest quality diabetic socks will always have extra thickness in the weakest spots on your heels and the rest of the foot as well. Some even use silicone and gel as padding. Whatever the material may be, the additional protection keeps threats of injury away.

High-Tech Diabetic Socks

The recent developments offer you a range of options to choose from. You can choose a pair of diabetic socks that have as a high a technology or as low a technology as you like in the design. Some of the high-tech diabetic socks in the market have the following features:

• You can now find smart diabetic socks. These have a Bluetooth connection with which you can connect to your phone or an app.
• The Bluetooth connection allows you to measure the pressure, moisture and temperature of your feet.
• You can now find a pair of thin-designed and Swiss pair of diabetic socks too. This particular design will control the temperature movement of your feet, reduce moisture, guard your injured areas, eliminate bacteria and support the arches.

Are Diabetic Socks Different From Compression Socks?

Compression and diabetic socks have different purposes. The former helps regulate circulation all the way back to your heart. For diabetic patients, the risk of PAD (peripheral artery disease) four times greater.

Your arteries tend to suffer blockages or at least narrow down, thereby cutting your blood flow particularly in the legs.

Compression socks are not helpful for diabetes at all. In fact, they can hinder the already narrowed down or restricted blood flow in the arteries. Diabetic socks, on the other hands, are mildly compressing and just right for diabetic patients. They fit over your knees mostly and enhance the much needed circulation for your feet.

Looking After Your Diabetic Socks

A few steps are necessary to ensuring the proper care of the diabetic socks pairs you own. Firstly, make sure you wear a clean and fresh pair daily. You have to prioritize your feet staying dry and clean all the time and additionally being able to spot draining wounds immediately. Immediate medical attention is imperative in case of wounds in diabetic patients.

You can wash your diabetic socks with your regular laundry load but a warm cycle is better. Furthermore, do not add chlorine bleach or fabric softeners when washing your diabetic socks. The chemical in these detergents are too harsh for the soft fabrics and will ruin the socks within no time. Dry the socks on low heat in the dryer if you wish.

You must also conduct a thorough check of the socks pair before you put it on. Any loose threads or rips can make way for protrusion and harm your sensitive foot.

Some Extra Precautions for Your Diabetic Feet

As a diabetic with certain conditions, it is not only necessary to wear diabetic socks but also the right diabetic shoes. The two things provide maximum comfort and protection for your diabetic feet. When shopping for your diabetic shoes, look for the following features:

• Ergonomic design and lightweight soles to maximize mobility
• The shoes must have a wide width that does not constrict your feet environment
• There should be a higher area for toes to eliminate pressure and create more breathing space
• The design must have extra depth and a loose fit so that your sensitive feet suffer no pressure
• The shoes have to provide orthotic support. They should have anatomical insoles for this
• There should be stretchable uppers for safeguarding your diabetic feet
• The upper should be non-binding, with no overlays and super soft
• The interior must be seam-free, soft and stitching protrusion.

Final Thoughts

For diabetic patients, foot care is essential part of their lives. Diabetes cause people to become extra sensitive to a number of health complications, including feet infection. The best pair of diabetic socks can protect your feet from a lot of harm. Consulting your doctor before use would be a good idea.