Do you have diabetes and loss of sensation in your feet?

We are now recruiting participants for a study assessing the impact of footwear fit on in-shoe pressure and foot temperature

One in five foot ulcers are caused by the footwear worn by people with diabetes, yet there is a lack of consensus around the clinical definitions of fit. Recommended gaps between the longest toe and the inside of footwear vary widely but no research to date has assessed their effectiveness in minimising in-shoe pressures.

We are recruiting 60 people with diabetes and loss of sensation in their feet to assess in-shoe pressures while they are walking in standardised footwear fitted according to three different footwear guidelines. In this study, we will measure in-shoe pressures whilst participants walk at the same pace to the beat of a metronome. They will wear the same (standardised) type of footwear. The study is designed to detect a difference in pressure within this made-to-measure footwear between shoes whose fit conforms to Standard 1 guidance compared with those whose fit conforms to Standard 2 guidance.  In-shoe pressures will be measured with special insoles inserted into their shoes. We will also analyse the heat images of participants’ feet taken with a thermographic camera before and after walking in standardised footwear whose fit confirms to these standards. Footwear fit will be determined by measuring the dimensions of participants’ feet and that of their footwear and comparing the two.

We will also measure footwear fit and associated in-shoe pressure/heat images of feet in participants’ habitual footwear during walking at paced and self-selected speeds.

For more details or to take part in the study contact: footwearfit@uhl-tr.nhs.uk