Brooks is a trusted brand, perhaps best known for its line of athletic shoes, but it’s also popular with people looking for orthopedic and diabetic shoes. One of the many features that help Brooks stand out is their decision to offer a wide variety of different shoe widths. Many diabetics with particularly narrow or wide feet find Brooks shoes a godsend.

Brooks was founded in 1914 as a company dedicated to the manufacture of ice skates and cleated athletic shoes. The company did not have notable success until the 1970s, when jogging became a national pastime. Once a rival to Nike, Brooks ran out of steam in the 1980s until new owners revamped the company in the 1990s. Helen Rockey, a University of Washington graduate and former Nike executive, took over as Brooks president. Rockey decided to focus the company’s energy on an older demographic (running shoes for runners ages 35-60) and the company picked up steam again. Rockey was the first woman to lead a major athletic shoe company in the United States.

Brooks offers a wide range of athletic shoes that are ideal for diabetics or others who need a high-quality shoe with excellent orthotic support. Take the Brooks Addiction Walker 2 for Men, for example. This shoe is an excellent shock absorber with a cushioning system that Brooks calls Hydroflow® and an outsole made of high-density carbon rubber. The upper is made of soft, breathable leather with a seamless interior that won’t trap moisture or irritate feet.

The shoe is structured with a wedge heel that promotes stability and will be particularly helpful for people who tend to overpronate when walking or jogging. The shoe is also designed to help redistribute pressure points, a feature that helps reduce the formation of blisters, hot spots, calluses, corns, or other foot injuries. The Brooks Addiction Walker 2 can come with either laces or Velcro (generally speaking, Velcro is a better alternative for diabetics as it allows you to adjust your shoe size often and easily).

There is also a women’s version of the shoe (the Brooks Addiction Walker V-Strap for Women). And the shoe comes, as mentioned above, in several different widths. Customers can choose from Regular, Wide D, Narrow 2A and Wide 2E. Brooks shoes also come in half sizes, making them a particularly good choice for people who have half sizes, mismatched feet, or are recovering from a foot injury.