Oedema changes the volume of the foot, while lymphoedema can also change its shape across the toes, instep or ankle.
We selected these shoes for oedema and lymphoedema because every model combines extra depth with a highly adjustable fastening and a wide opening for easier entry. The straps or laces can be reset as the foot changes, and the removable footbed offers additional fitting flexibility. Some models may accommodate a compression garment, dressing or bandage, depending on its bulk; the footwear should always be tried with whatever is normally worn on the foot. New or one-sided swelling should be medically assessed rather than simply accommodated.
More about our shoes for oedema and lymphoedema
To choose: start with how the shoe opens. Multi-strap touch-fasten models lay open widest, which is what you want if you are managing a bandage, a compression garment or a dressing, or fastening the shoe for someone else. Then look at depth across the instep, which is usually where a shoe fails first. The insole lifts out of every pair for a little more room, or for a prescribed orthotic.
Shoes that open flat for a swollen foot
A fastening that fully releases means the foot goes into the shoe from above rather than being pushed in from behind. With a swollen or bandaged foot, that is often the difference between a shoe that can be worn and one that cannot.
Extra depth up to 6E
Depth is the vertical room from insole to upper, and it is the measurement that runs out first when the instep swells. Every shoe in this collection is built extra deep as well as extra wide.
Footwear over compression garments
Compression stockings and wraps add bulk, and the shoe has to take it without pressing back. The widest touch-fasten models here are the usual starting point. Removing the insole gives a few more millimetres if you need them.
Questions we are asked
Are oedema and lymphoedema the same thing?
No — they have different causes and different treatment, and your clinician will tell you which you have. From a footwear point of view the practical problem is similar: volume that changes, and a shape that is not the standard one.
Can I wear these with compression?
Many people do. Try the footwear with the compression garment or wrap normally prescribed for you, and follow your lymphoedema or vascular team's instructions rather than changing compression to make a shoe fit.
What if one foot is bigger than the other?
This can happen with lymphoedema. Measure both feet and fit against the larger foot; contact us before ordering if the difference makes choosing a size or fastening difficult.
If you are under a lymphoedema clinic or vascular team, check any change of footwear or compression with them first. Report new swelling, a change in skin colour, heat or a break in the skin to your GP or clinic rather than waiting.
