Let's Talk About Feet

Your feet to be specific, the ones you use to propel yourself through life.  Living in the land of tourists--and their requisite flip flops--I've seen cattle with better shod feet.  But feet are important.  It is nice to have the best guns and oodles of survival equipment, but without the basics--like being able to walk a good ways during a survival situation--you will be screwed (no offense to people without legs or feet that work, that is a whole other survival issue).

The problem with feet can be many--athlete's foot, hammertoes, blisters, corns, callouses, gout, bunions...the list goes on.  I know some people who spend more time taking care of their firearms than they do their feet when feet, for the most part, are even more important than a firearm on a daily basis.

Here's how to take care of your feet:

• Take care of systemic problems that can affect your feet like gout and diabetes.  These are serious medical issues that can lead to debilitating foot problems (up to and including amputation!).
• Learn the basics of foot care (like keeping your feet clean and dry).
• Wear the right shoes (I'm still on an apparent never-ending quest to find the perfect shoe...trail shoes, lug soles, zero drop, heel slip, toe box...there are about a dozen things to consider when looking for the perfect pair of shoes).
• Fix common foot problems (you haven't talked foot issues until you have chatted with a group of runners or long-distance backpackers, they can discuss this topic all day long).
• Consider orthotics (I'm a fan of Super Feet).
• If you are hard on your feet (long distance runners, nurses, mailmen on a walking route), take extra care to be kind to your feet.
• Here are some examples of trashed feet (trigger warning--these photos are not for the squeamish).  Part 1   Part 2
• Finally, here are some runner tricks to make improve your running/walking (some are quite extreme): removing your toenails permanently, special shoe lacing techniques, after-run recovery techniques. special toe socks