Tom Rankin
Well-known member
Excerpted from an article that was emailed to me at work:
1. Don't Go Barefoot
"This is the best advice I have," says James W. Brodsky, MD, an orthopaedist in private practice, and clinical professor of orthopaedic surgery at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School at Dallas. "We see so many injuries from going barefoot. Even in that cool grass that feels so good can be a dangerous, cutting object."
A second reason not to bare [the feet] is that you could have neuropathy from an unknown cause (even if you are not diabetic). You may not even know you have it. You could dash across the street barefoot, and even if it's hot enough to fry an egg out there, you wouldn't feel it. But you would get burned. "A lot of people don't know they have it (neuropathy) until they get an injury," Brodsky says.
2. Avoid (or Treat) Heel Pain
[more on request]
3. Wear Sensible Shoes
[more on request]
4. Protect Feet From Contaminated Water [TFR: In the backcountry!]
At the pool, in the gym, in the locker room, wear clogs or flip-flops -- preferably your own, Brodsky advises.
"We notice more athlete's foot (fungus) in kids in summer," Reid says. "It's not a new risk. Keep feet dry. Rinse them during the day, change socks twice a day. And don't wear the same sweaty old shoes every day."
Reid also recommends using an antiperspirant on feet. "It robs fungus of the moisture it likes," she says (and helps with foot and shoe odor).
5. Baby Those Peds on a Hike!
1. Don't Go Barefoot
"This is the best advice I have," says James W. Brodsky, MD, an orthopaedist in private practice, and clinical professor of orthopaedic surgery at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School at Dallas. "We see so many injuries from going barefoot. Even in that cool grass that feels so good can be a dangerous, cutting object."
A second reason not to bare [the feet] is that you could have neuropathy from an unknown cause (even if you are not diabetic). You may not even know you have it. You could dash across the street barefoot, and even if it's hot enough to fry an egg out there, you wouldn't feel it. But you would get burned. "A lot of people don't know they have it (neuropathy) until they get an injury," Brodsky says.
2. Avoid (or Treat) Heel Pain
[more on request]
3. Wear Sensible Shoes
[more on request]
4. Protect Feet From Contaminated Water [TFR: In the backcountry!]
At the pool, in the gym, in the locker room, wear clogs or flip-flops -- preferably your own, Brodsky advises.
"We notice more athlete's foot (fungus) in kids in summer," Reid says. "It's not a new risk. Keep feet dry. Rinse them during the day, change socks twice a day. And don't wear the same sweaty old shoes every day."
Reid also recommends using an antiperspirant on feet. "It robs fungus of the moisture it likes," she says (and helps with foot and shoe odor).
5. Baby Those Peds on a Hike!
- Don't wear new boots or footwear on a hike or anywhere far from help. Break them in beforehand by wearing a few hours at a time.
- Make sure your footwear is comfortable and cushioned. Stick your fingers inside and check.
- If you use an orthotic device, make sure it's soft and cushioned, not rigid plastic.
- Wear socks no matter how hot it is.
- If you get a blister, don't pop it. "It's God's Band-Aid," Brodsky says, "providing protective cushioning."
- If you can't help yourself, use a sterile instrument to make a tiny drain hole close to the base of the blister. Do not tear off the "roof." Use antibiotic cream and a clean bandage. (This procedure is best avoided in the wild, but then, that is where most blisters pop up.)
- Vaseline, Reid says, is the best protection against blisters.
