Dr. Scholl’s Diabetic Socks Review

There’s a reason why persons with diabetes require daily foot check-ups at home, and at least twice per year by their doctor, or sooner if they notice a problem. These checkups are an essential part of diabetes care that can keep them mobile for as long as possible.

Poor blood flow and nerve damage can make feet feel numb or tingly. That numbness means wounds and sores may go unnoticed longer.

Wearing the right fitting shoes and avoiding going barefoot can help protect your feet. Following these and other CDC guidelines for checking your feet can help keep your feet in tip top shape. That’s why, today, we’re looking closely at Dr. Scholl’s diabetic socks. As the name suggests, these socks were specifically designed for people with diabetes.

But, are they any good? Do they encourage blood flow and help reduce diabetic foot complications?

In particular, diabetic socks should never be binding or constrictive. The best socks are comfortable, breathable, roomy, and most importantly, they keep the blood flowing. 

You’ll want the opposite of those compression socks, which can constrict blood flow. You don’t want tight seams that constrict your leg and leave a print.

We purchased and reviewed two of Dr. Scholl’s diabetic socks for men and women in black and white, and distributed them to the diabetics in the family to see how well they worked in the real world.

Here’s the verdict.

Our Experiences with Dr. School’s Diabetic Socks

Roomy and One Size Fits All

To be honest, I mixed up the gender assigned to each sock purchased, but no party seemed to mind or even notice. It quite worked out.

The socks all catered for a shoe size of 7 to 12, which is an enormous range. The packaging might as well read ‘one size fits all.’ There is no discernable difference between the men’s and women’s versions, other than the men’s socks being a smidge bigger by less than a ½ inch (pre-worn).

After first glancing at the sock, my aunt thought it would be too big. She’s normally a size 7 in shoes, and the men’s white sock turned out to have a perfect fit. The sock didn’t slip off her skinny feet. My male subjects all had size 9 to 11 1/2 max in men’s shoe sizes and never noticed any tightness.

If you wear thick insoles and or form fitting therapeutic shoes, the last thing you want are tight or thick socks.

If you’ve got thick or swollen ankles or wear a shoe bigger than a size 12, you’d want to go with a larger sock size. None of my subjects had insoles, but all had shoes that were roomy or wide width. They all reported the socks had ample room. 

The degree of foot swelling is subjective and can vary throughout the day. These socks did give enough on our largest subject’s foot, but only you know how much your swelling expands your feet. If they were overly stretchy, they’d just droop around your ankles, and you don’t want that either.

Thinner than Other Socks 

Diabetics need non-binding socks like these.

Our subjects all unanimously referred to these socks as being on the thinner side than others in their collection, especially compared to heavily padded sports socks. They mirrored dress socks in how thin they were, except with a tad more padding around the toes and heels, and were far more breathable.

In fact, reviews on Amazon confirm that the socks run thin. Many repeat customers noticed these socks were thinner than what they used to get with the same purchase. Maybe Dr. Scholl’s switched things up.

They were breathable without feeling like they’re wearing mesh as you can clearly see from the photos.

Comfortable, Light, and Airy

Dr. Scholl’s diabetic socks were very breathable, super soft, and comfortable to wear – to everyone’s surprise.

All my subjects reported that it didn’t feel like they were wearing anything at all.

The socks were subtly stretchy at the top with no detectable elastic band. The ankles socks did not bulk up around the ankle and the crew socks did not leave imprints on anyone’s legs after wearing them for the day and at night. My aunt already has some hyperpigmentation around her legs from poor circulation and wanted to avoid any sock that would constrict her legs in any way.

My grandmother whose ankles are a bit ‘thick’ still described the socks as soft and stretchy even at the end of the day when her feet and ankles were at their worst.

My uncle loved that he could wear the black socks with his work shoes without making his feet feel cramped or sweaty.

The Material

Dr. Scholl’s diabetic socks use free flow moisture dispersion technology to keep feet dry, and Silvadur is an antimicrobial technology used to keep socks fresh. I think that’s Dr. Scholl’s way of trying to keep your feet from getting funky.

My uncle loved his socks and asked me for a second pair. He remarked that his feet did not sweat or smell at all, which can be an embarrassing problem for him. They held up on the sweat-meter even when wearing his leather work shoes or going about his day to run errands.

The socks are not made out of cotton though. They are 96% polyester, 2% spandex, 2% other fibers. The socks also claim to be latex-free. My mother, a non-diabetic, who is highly allergic to latex wore my pair for several days without any allergic reaction. And she’s someone whose face turns into the pufferfish at the dentist if they accidentally use a dental dam with latex.

Then again, why would any socks contain latex? The good news is that she has never had a reaction to any sock for that matter.

Heel and Toe Reinforcement

Even though some descriptions say that the heel is ‘cushioned,’ they are only subtly cushioned. The seamless stitching won’t leave you feeling bumps that can be hard on your feet or feel uncomfortable.

You’ll still need to resort to other insoles or shoe padding if you suffer from heel pain, heel spurs, or plantar fasciitis.

The toe padding was also light. The padding would not be near enough to cause your feet to feel cramped in any shoe.

Withstands Washing Machine and Dryer

The socks were durable in the washing machine and dryer. There was no pilling or shredding after multiple washes.

They haven’t fallen apart through multiple washes and going through the dryer.

I did notice that the black socks would accumulate white lint from the environment when walking around the home without shoes. They were just more noticeable on the black socks. But, this is typical of most socks and was easy to pull off.

Discrete

You’re not reminded that you’re wearing diabetic socks. The socks are not branded. No one needs to know you’re wearing diabetic socks.

My uncle wore this to work and out and about running errands.

Final Thoughts

In the end, Dr. Scholl’s diabetic socks do exactly what they’re meant to. They’re soft, comfortable, and stay on your foot well, without leaving impressions. This makes them perfect for anyone with diabetes.

The socks aren’t just for diabetics either. They’re also excellent choices if you’re looking for a comfortable sock that won’t leave your foot sweaty. It’s not surprising that there are so many good reviews for the socks.

If you want to try them for yourself, you can find them here, on Amazon. The socks are good value for money too, as you get four of them in a pack.

Other Options

Dr. Scholl’s is far from the only company in this field. There are plenty of others too, including the following:

• CareActive Diabetic Swellsox
• Doctor’s Choice Men’s Diabetic & Neuropathy Crew Socks
• OrthoSleeve Diabetic and Neuropathy Non-Binding Wellness Socks
• Hugh Ugoli Men’s Loose Diabetic Ankle Socks Bamboo

Diabetes Help? For more tools to help track your diabetes supplies, check out our tracking sheet, or our ultimate guide for diabetes care.