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Going Barefoot

derry60 said:
I must admit. I hate going barefoot. I think it dries your feet out and can cause rough cracked skin. I like my slippers for comfort. I use a mint foot moisturiser and my feet are lovely and soft. I also have a foot spa, just because I like to pamper my feet lol
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Me to hate going totally barefoot but I wear flip flops in the summer in winter I do suffer from cold feet so always wear boots when out and slippers indoors
 
I don't like wearing socks and shoes/boots. I wear sandals outdoors as soon as it's warm enough, probably from April/May to October, and in January/February as I'm abroad in a hot country.
Indoors I'm usually barefoot, though wear socks in the winter.
My feet are in better condition now than when I was working, as my feet aren't enclosed so much, and I apply foot cream now. Before I often had cracked heels and sometimes Athletes Foot between my toes. :sour:
 
Spl@ said:
Your feet acimatise same as your hands.
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Good to know. That's what I'm hoping, as I gradually increase my barefoot time.
Emily D. said:
I spent a summer in bare feet/flipflops and ended up with plantar fasciitis
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That's interesting, because The Foot Collective seem to be saying that it's having out feet in shoes that causes problems like this, and that gradually going barefoot more will actually help heal. A recent podcast with Dr Rangan Chatterjee was informative for me.
Tipetoo said:
Goats heads come to mind here...
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Yikes! Makes me wonder how the aboriginals coped...
 
Jim Lahey said:
As alluded to already, people with poorly controlled diabetes, of which I was one, need to take extreme care with their feet. Ulcers and blisters can lead to infections, blood poisoning and amputations.

But, all that aside, I see no problem with going barefoot.
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Its not just about either the degree of feeling in the feet or the degree of control, although both play a part - slower / impaired healing, particularly of the extremeties ( feet & legs in particular ) is also an issue frequently related to diabetes
I usually walk around barefoot at home but ensure I keep the floors very well hoovered so theres less chance of stepping on anything - thats generally worked fine but a couple of years ago I dropped a mug which smashed - thought Id got all the bits up until I managed to find a big shard one with my foot causing a pretty deep wound which bled like anything when I removed the shard. I felt it immediately and took all the necessary action i.e. Cleaned it applied antibiotic cream ( I always buy a tube when Im in the EU to bring home in case of emergencies). Everything healed up fine, but Im extra careful with the hoovering and at times like the present when Ive got workmen in the house I wear slippers with a reasonabley thick sole in case of dropped nails etc
 
Robinredbreast said:
I did look up Vivobarefoot, but they are a bit too pricey for my purse
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Likewise. But I value the health of my feet, especially as they do have an impact on the rest of my posture. So I spend a lot of time hunting eBay bargains! Most of my shoes are second hand but hardly worn, and I make sure I get every last ounce of life out of them!
 
Colin of Kent said:
Likewise. But I value the health of my feet, especially as they do have an impact on the rest of my posture. So I spend a lot of time hunting eBay bargains! Most of my shoes are second hand but hardly worn, and I make sure I get every last ounce of life out of them!
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I concur with you as I value the health of my feet very much, but times have been hard lately. I don't wear unsuitable shoes, high heels or cram my feet into narrow stiletto's :wideyed:

These feet were made for walking and that's what there gonna do...............:)
 
What a fabulous thread! Going barefoot a lot has been my guilty secret, considering the advice we get to wear shoes, like, all the time, on diagnosis. It's great to read your experiences and have a looksie at The Foot Collective website.

To walk barefoot in wet sand is just wonderful, and I love to do it. And if I do a wee sprint, I like to do that in firm sand by the waterline. There is something just fabulous about a wee jog barefoot on a beach, in the event I am up to it. Having read you all now in above, I won't feel guilty or anxious anymore and will put the 'always wear shoes' along with traditional diabetic-food advice.
 
Yes @jillsymes66 I agree - stepping on plugs is the pits! I was extremely Sergeant-Major like with myself and my children when they were actual children about leaving plugs lying around due to a very painful experience or two or three stepping on them. Yeah, going barefoot, especially once with diabetes does entail being very very strict about stuff on the floor for sure. Also, watching out for bees and wasps! When walking barefoot outdoors on grass etc, for sure.
 
I always have bare feet at home, well I sometimes wear socks in the coldest winter. I also do get this thick skin on my heels but this kind of scraber takes it away easily also on dry feet and then I put some moisturizer on

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https://www.matas.dk/microplane-fodfil

I don´t think it is dangerous to walk barefoot until one gets nerve problems in one's feet, the problem then is that it is probably not felt when that trouble arrives...
 
Picking no2 daughter up. Waiting outside now in flip flops.

Your feet get used to everything the same as the rest of our bodies.

Think about it. 10 deg in March feels great. 10 degrees in November feels cold. It's the ruddy freezing bit in the middle that changes what your used to.

Well it is if you work outside a lot.
 
Interesting thread this, especially as it makes me realise how much of my life was behaviour instilled by ingrained fear. My parents advised me through the 60s onwards never to go barefoot as Type 1 put me at the risk of serious complications later, including amputation. In 2001 the head of the diabetic clinic said to me "Your feet are immaculate Grant! I'm surprised, with your kidney function, that you haven't had at least one off by now". The doctor's reaction made me think the original advice was sound, but I agree it's a blanket insurance policy. On the other hand I never saw a podiatrist apart from the period between October 2103 and September 2104. Look after your pedal extremities!
 
I have been wearing Hykes Flex barefoot shoes, took awhile to get used to but I love them now and will never go back to regular shoes.
 
I use to do a lot of sport when I was younger so was always barefoot and loved it , unfortunately as I got older the padding on the base of my foot wore down to nothing it always felt as if I was walking on my bones , when I eventually went to see a podiatrist to cut my nails etc she took my shoe of and said OMG you have no padding on your feet it must feel like your walking on your bones I thought no s##t Sherlock so now unfortunately I don’t do barefoot on the plus side I only have one foot so only half te problem hehehe
 
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