http://diabetes.org/diabetesnewsarticle.jsp?storyId=16419321&filename=20071119/r
euters20071119health00000004reutershealthEDIT.xml

or

http://tinyurl.com/2o8wnc

(excerpt)

People with Diabetes Risk Foot Ulcers from Ill-fitting Shoes

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - New research from the UK suggests that
most people with diabetes are wearing shoes that don't fit correctly,
putting them at risk of foot ulcers, which can ultimately lead to
amputation.

"We do know from other studies that about 80 percent of all
amputations start with a foot ulcer, and that's why it's important to
try to prevent these foot ulcers in the first place," Dr. Graham P.
Leese of the University of Dundee in Scotland, the study's lead
author, told Reuters Health.

Leese and his colleagues measured the foot length and width of 100
people attending a diabetes clinic. Only one-third of them had at
least one correctly fitting shoe. Only 24 percent had shoes that were
wide and long enough for both feet, measured while they were sitting,
while 20 percent had shoes that fitted properly while they were
standing.

Both too-tight and too-loose shoes can rub against the foot, which is
a problem for the 15 percent to 20 percent of diabetic individuals who
have lost sensation in their feet, Leese noted.