How we turned a pair of wellies into a toe-saving device

By Gill Skyes
Legs Matter coalition member
Clinical Lead Podiatry at Calderdale & Huddersfield NHS Trust

Why create specially adapted wellies?

What you wear on your feet has a big impact on your foot’s health, which is why an important part of treating a chronic foot ulcer is looking at a patient’s footwear. When RNLI volunteer Keith came to us for treatment, he told us that he spent a lot of time in wellies as he is often volunteering on the lifeboats. Wellies don’t offer the foot a great deal support, so we knew that we needed to get them adapted to give Keith’s toe the best chance of healing.

How Keith’s wellies were made

First, we took a cast of Keith’s foot in order to create a bespoke inlay for the welly. The inlay was designed to take the pressure away from the 1st toe joint and redistribute the pressure across the rest of the foot evenly. A lot of pressure is put on the big toe when walking, so we used specialist, hard-wearing materials that would withstand the pressure and retain their shape.

With the inlays ready, Keith attended our Central Base Clinic to have the wellies fitted and further adapted for an ultra-precise fit. The inlays took the pressure off his big toe so he could still do his vital work for the RNLI (The Royal National Lifeboat Institute) without compromising the healing of his diabetic foot ulcer. We regularly reviewed the inlays to check that they were still offering optimal support. Now – 15 months on – Keith’s toe is fully healed.