The use of orthopaedic shoes in patients with diabetes at high risk of foot amputation and Charcot arthropathy

Aim. To evaluate the use of orthopaedic shoes in patients with diabetes with foot ulcers and/or previous minor amputations or Charcot arthropathy (CA) and factors influencing this use. Patients and methods. One hundred twenty-one patients with diabetes (55 men and 66 women; 36 in the inactive stage of CA) were included. A questionnaire based on footwear was used to evaluate patients' compliance. Daily activity and the severity of the foot deformities were recorded. Further, foot geometry and forefoot and midfoot circumferences were measured. Results. Fifty-eight patients did not use orthopaedic shoes. Users and non-users did not differ in terms of gender and type of diabetes. The causes of refusal included ill-fitting shoes (56%), ugly appearance (11%), traumatisation with shoes (11%), inability to walk (5%) and other causes (17%). The percentages of patients in each category of deformity severity were mild (41.2%), moderate (37%) and severe (54%. Frequency of refusal of CA vs non-CA patients: 72.2% and 43.5%; with severe deformities, 70.8% vs 34%; with moderate deformities, 83.3% vs 57.2% (p < 0.05 for all). In patients with CA, the only significant parameter was the difference in the circumference of the midfoot between the affected and non-affected foot; in CA users and non-users, this parameter was 1.93 +/- 1.25 vs 0.70 +/- 0.83 cm, respectively (p = 0.01). Conclusions. The high frequency of refusing to wear orthopaedic shoes is related to severe foot deformities and the inability to accommodate them in off-the-shelf footwear. Most of the patients used orthopaedic shoes for outdoor use, but the frequency of use was low. Shoe compliance did not depend on gender but increased with ageing, low levels of daily activity and in patients with severe deformities. Patients with CA are characterised with extremely low compliance. In this group, foot parameters and other objective parameters did not rely on footwear compliance.