Footwear should always be a protection for bare feet. The contact of the skin with elements of the footwear should not produce any type of irritation or points of friction or rubbing, beyond the capacity of the foot itself (load capacity, mobility of the toes, propulsion for walking…) and the skin that covers it to adapt to the elements of the footwear.
When buying footwear, it is obvious that shoes made of poor quality materials should be discarded, since they will break or deform and, in this deterioration of the initial disposition, adaptability problems may arise that may arise either from the outset or with longer use. Inelastic materials that hinder skin transpiration will create more problems than softer, natural and adaptable materials.
In addition to the quality of the materials, specialists in traumatology state that other aspects should also be taken into account, which are just as important, if not more so, such as the adaptability of the footwear and the use to which it is put. It is obvious that not everyone has the same foot shape, the same type of skin, the same efficiency of venous return circulation, the same weight and wingspan… just as they do not perspire the same, nor walk in the same way.
Foot injuries and chafing?
To a certain extent, a change of footwear, from winter to summer, for example, will require the skin of the foot, including the points of support and support, to adapt to the new arrangement required by a different model of footwear, which is supported at other points. Specifically with the lighter summer footwear, these points are not as wide as in the more closed footwear, but should concentrate on the strategic points that footwear manufacturers have perfectly studied. But a blister or chafing that persists over time and with repeated use of a particular type of shoe, should indicate that the foot is not adapted to this shoe and discard it before the injury worsens.
First and foremost, comfort in footwear
Fashion demands imperatives that sometimes do not go hand in hand with health. This is especially evident in footwear, whose designs are rarely guided by experts in foot medicine (orthopedists, podiatrists, orthopedic surgeons, etc.). The choice of footwear is not a simple matter and each person should pay more attention to the type of footwear he or she wears. Especially in women, since foot alterations caused by inappropriate footwear over the years are one of the most common consultations in any center dedicated to foot health care.
We have seen problems with certain shoes every year and in every season. Often, because the person gets carried away for reasons of aesthetics, commercial convenience or price, without taking into account his or her own personal characteristics, which are not always the same and can vary for physiological reasons, age or activity. A skin can become more sensitive or allergic from one time to another according to multiple parameters. Changes in weight, physical activity, metabolism, changes in leg circulation, skin strength and texture, and many other reasons can make one person better suited to certain footwear than another.
As with eyesight, the important thing is the vision prescription and not the frame of the glasses. When it comes to our feet, we should take more personal care, thinking not only about the present but also about the future of a part of our body that must support us for the rest of our lives.