Abstract： Objective To study the effectiveness of the diabetic foot therapeutic footwear in preventing the foot ulcer. Methods A total of 85 type 2 diabetic patients were investigated: 74 men and 11women with age of 54±11 years and diabetes duration of 8±12 months.The foot sole pressure was measured with RS Footscan-Insole 2.33 when they wore cotton-made and leather-made shoes and diabetic foot therapeutic shoes.The diabetic foot therapeutic shoes were made with LYCRA materials, and the space in the shoes is big enough for claw toes and other deformity of the patients.The foot sole pressure and peak pressure were measured on the heel, metatarsal heads and midfoot. Results Compared with cotton-made and leather-made shoes, diabetic foot therapeutic shoes showed lower peak pressure in total foot sole (P<0.01).The total pressure in leather-made shoe was highest, but no statistical significance was found among the three types of shoes. Diabetic foot therapeutic shoes reduced plantar pressure (M3-M5).The foot pressure on heel was increased in cotton-made shoe. Conclusions Diabetic foot therapeutic shoes and insoles might be useful for preventing the diabetic foot, because they could reduce the peak pressure, and make the distribution of the pressure on the foot sole more reasonably.The cotton-made shoe may increase the heel pressure.