Sockwear Recommendations for People with Diabetes

A survey of physicians, podiatrists, staff nurses and certified diabetes educators in the Duke University Medical Center and Durham VA Medical Center and in close proximity to those institutions produced a variety of responses to the question of what type of sockwear was appropriate for people with diabetes.  The authors then consulted materials from government sources, books and magazines, and professional education publications.  They discovered that most sockwear recommendations were made based on tradition and not research-based information.  In conclusion, they cited research done with sockwear and concluded that patients who are at risk of ulcer development should be advised to wear padded socks made with acrylic.