February 10, 2012. Paul Hixon
Diabetes is a nerve disorder. Because it attacks the nerve endings, it damages them in the lower extremities such as the feet.
A diabetic will not feel it if a dangerous blister forms. This blister can become infected and may cause an unwanted amputation of the leg if the infection becomes severe enough. Diabetic socks help to prevent this from happening.
There are several different styles of diabetic socks. You can get them as ankle, knee high or in a stocking form that goes thigh high. For the purposes of this article, we will discuss the knee-high type. Diabetic socks work by applying pressure to the ankle and pressure slowly decreases as it goes out the leg past the calf muscle to the knee. This helps to prevent the blood from pooling in the feet which will cause a diabetic to have painful swollen feet at the end of an active day. If the blood flow is moving properly through the feet, a diabetic will not have the pain and swelling at the end of the day.
Diabetic socks are moisture controlled. If you do develop a blister, these socks will draw the moisture away from the blister and prevent it from becoming a serious infection. When you buy your diabetic socks, you can find them at your medical supply store or online. Simply do a Google search for diabetic socks and you will find many stores that offer this type of sock. You will also find a wider variety to choose from if you buy from the online stores. The prices will also be a lot less than if you had bought them at your medical supply store. This means you can get more than one pair and be able to wear one pair for each day of the week.
Updated February 10, 2012. Published November 26, 2011. Paul Hixon
