SCRMC offers therapeutic shoes for diabetics

SCRMC’s Therapeutic Shoe Program is Medicare coverage for footwear (shoes and shoe inserts) for those with diabetes who meet certain qualifications, such as foot deformities like bunions, hammertoes, neuropathy, numbness in the feet, and poor circulation.

“Shoes play an extremely important role in managing diabetes-related foot complications,” says SCRMC Podiatrist, Danielle Redburn, DPM. “Even the best care possible will fall short if an individual is wearing a substandard shoe.” Over 50,000 foot amputations—often caused by incorrect or poorly fitting footwear—occur among those with diabetes each year,

“This valuable program can help those with diabetes protect their feet from such complications as calluses, ulcers, and amputation,” Redburn pointed out, “because therapeutic shoes are deeper and wider than regular shoes and, most importantly, they are custom fitted for each individual’s feet.”

“While buying these specially made shoes can be very expensive in the general market,” noted Redburn, “Medicare will help pay for one pair of shoes, orthotics, and/or shoe modification each year.”

Obviously, getting a correct fit is critical, and it’s generally recognized in the medical community that podiatrists are unsurpassed at providing lower extremity/foot care for people with diabetes.

For more information about this program, contact Danielle Redburn, DPM, at  715-483-3221 or 800-828-3627.