our feet

THE HUMAN FOOT

While researching what I might be able to do to alleviate the discomfort that I now experience due to the fact that the padding between my foot skin and bones is deteriorating due to age I came across a most interesting white paper from the Institute for Preventive Foot health.

INTRDUCTION

“Despite monumental stride made in medicine in today’s technological society, the pure fact remains that the majority of people in the civilized world suffer from some sort of foot disease. The disease has a slow insidious onset and is so well received by modern man that scarcely a thought is given by him to his chronic foot discomfort on a day-to-day basis”

Throughout my life I have always bought the best shoes I could, so what I am now experiencing is the culmination of not necessarily having what would be best, and from this study I have found that what we should be wearing does not exist. You will also discover what is and has been sold for many years is a significant contributor to foot problems that are being experienced by people much, much younger than me.

BACKGROUND

“The foot evolved to support man on natural surfaces, i.e. grass, dirt, sand, gravel, etc. The evolution of the human foot was never influenced by or ultimately designed for the harmonic unity with a surface covering, i.e., a shoe.

The shock absorbing capacity of the bones and joints of the foot are complimented by the thick plantar skin on the bottom of the foot and a thick layer of fat cushioning known as the plantar fat pad.

The bottom surface of the foot is richly supplied by sweat glands, more than any other part of the body. These sweat glands are unique in that they are innervated (to stimulate through nerves) by nerve fibers. Some researchers have postulated that sweating soles functions to provide a pliable adhesive surface facilitating tactile activity and grip on objects. This is one mechanism closely linked to preparation for activity”.

There is a friction that takes place between the bottom of the foot and the footwear being worn. A shear is developed when the metatarsal bones glide across the plantar fat pad that is trapped between the bones and the plantar skin, which in turn is adhered to the supporting surface. As the bones glide forward across the natural plantar padding the adhered plantar skin and the supportive surface are moving in the opposite direction and trauma occurs to the plantar fat pad and skin. The plantar fat pad is damaged and the skin will develop blisters. There is tissue breakdown from the shear and friction. Tissue response includes thickening of the plantar skin and inflammation of the deeper plantar padding tissues. The end result of this trauma is the subcutaneous tissues of the foot result in atrophy of the plantar fat pad and ultimate loss of natural cushioning. That explains what I and many people live with. It is a condition that is virtually non-reversible as far as I have been able to find.

ENVIRONMENT OF THE MODERN FOOT

“Chronic modern foot disease was brought on by two major factors: 1) man-made surfaces, and 2) shoes. With the introduction of these two entities, the natural ability of the human foot to dissipate impact and shearing forces has been nearly totally obliterated. The constraints of the modern shoe in preventing the maintenance of an optimal moisture environment for the foot have resulted in the development of a host of dermatological conditions and friction induced lesions of the feet”.

I have maintained for years and written about the fact that materials such as Gore-Tex successfully keep the foot sweat in the footwear that have the Gore-Tex in them as a major cause of foot problems such as athlete’s foot and much worse.

MAN-MADE SURFACES

“Modern man is forced to walk upon artificial surfaces that are both smooth and unyielding. Both of these characteristics severely compromise the natural function of the human foot since neither surface is found in the natural environment. The smooth quality of man-made surfaces deals with the inability to deflect in both directions the vertical (from toe to heal) and horizontal (side to side) planes”.

Essentially the net result is tissue breakdown, the fatty plantar tissue of the foot as well as the plantar skin. There is another action or lack of action that occurs when we do not walk on natural surfaces with bare feet. The man-made surface completely negates the natural mechanism operating between the feet and legs which normally pump’s blood from the feet and legs back to the heart. This action known as “peripheral pumping” causes the leg muscles to contract against the veins and squeezes the blood back towards the heart. This is only accomplished when the feet sink into a natural surface, like grass or sand, etc. the result of this action not taking place means that fluid accumulation occurs and results in chronic edema, varicose veins, skin necrosis, and general foot and leg fatigue.

“The closed environment of the modern-day shoe completely inhibits the natural moisture environment needed by the human foot for its day-to-day function. As stated previously, a certain degree of moisture is needed on the surface of the foot to facilitate grip and normal function. The sweat glands of the foot are triggered to respond to activity intensity. They are not triggered to respond to thermal stimuli. As intensity increases, the sweat glands continue to pour out moisture on the sole of the foot regardless of whether the moisture is accumulating or evaporating. The natural human foot was designed to operate in an environment that facilitated the balance of the loss of moisture. The modern foot cannot balance moisture loss because the foot is placed into a closed container. The result is the accumulation of moisture of frictional forces beyond the optimal level. This results, in turn, in frictional lesions, including blisters, calluses, shearing tylomas, corns and ultimate ulcerations on the feet. Lesions are known to be the beginning of all foot pathologies”.

It now becomes perfectly clear why products such as Gore-Tex are at the top of the pyramid of products placed in shoes that are detrimental to the person(s) wearing foot wear with this type of material in the shoes.If you have not seen this article below I strongly suggest that you read it.I previously published it.

http://andrewskurka.com/2016/waterproof-gore-tex-shoes-second-chance-complete-failure/

Within 12 months after we are born we are standing, and we are on our feet for the rest of our lives. As we age our feet begin to give out on us as a natural consequence of aging. The question I propose is what can we do about it so we have better or healthier feet later in life? The responsibility in a way lies with the shoe companies. My observation of having tried to work with shoe companies is that they exhibit no interest in making better footwear. I would not be surprised to learn that not one person in the ownership or employ of the shoe companies has ever read this white paper, and if they have they have ignored it completely.

The shoe companies are more concerned with fashion and advertising dollars received from material suppliers such as the Gore Company. Of course the ownership of Gore and all of their employees have also never read the information in this white paper. If they at Gore or any of the shoe companies that use the stuff had read this information would they still be so keen to sell the material to shoe manufacturers and the shoe manufacturers to sell to the general public? Of course Gore would and the shoe companies would have no problem selling their shoes to one and all. Why (?) because they, all of them do not care and why don’t they care, because in my opinion they do not think. The first requirement to developing anything is to be able to think, so the bad shoes being sold will not get better and the new shoes they come up with each year will be clones of the shoes they made last year. I do believe even though they have not read this information they are ALL very much aware that this product DOES NOT ALLOW SWEAT FROM FOOT SWEAT GLANDS OUT OF THE FOOTWEAR any more than it does out of a jacket.

About 2 or 2 ½ years ago I became aware of a 5 year study done by the U.S. Marine Corp to find out what could be done to dry boots in the field due to foot problems caused by perpetually wet feet. What can be done to alleviate the problem? I’ll answer that in a moment. But first, we tax payers pay for boots that have Gore-Tex in them which traps the moisture. We tax payers now pay for medications prescribed by military doctors to deal with infections. We taxpayers now pay compensation to Marines as well as other soldiers who have lifelong disabilities. Those boots get to be pretty expensive. All because they are Gore-Tex lined. The answer to the question is or should be obvious to one and all; remove the use of PTFE film which is what Gore-Tex is from the specifications governing the manufacturing of boots for the military. Use leather and Lamilite linings in the boots. Issue the soldier Lamilite socks. Until now I did not know that the sole of the socks which is also Lamilite will allow some of the sweat from the plantar skin to actually migrate out of the boot. A benefit that I was not at all aware of, and a pleasant surprise for me, and my many customers who have purchased my Lamilite socks. And yes they do keep your feet warmer than any other sock on the market. As a matter of fact all socks currently sold have one characteristic in common; they all trap the sweat from the foot and that keeps your feet wet all day and if you are out in the field the socks never dry.

Foot problems are accumulative and take years to show up and when that happens it is too late to correct them. My unsolicited advice is to only purchase leather footwear and ask for footwear lined with Lamilite so far your only source is Wiggy’s. A pair of Lamilite socks come with every pair of Lamilite lined boots. Obviously never buy any footwear that has a “waterproof breathable” tag on it. Stay away from foam lined footwear because the foam is a sponge and it will absorb all the sweat that gets to it which keeps your feet wet.

What I believe is the lack of concern exhibited by the shoe industry is symptomatic of the bulk of the outdoor industry. For those of you who think I am being to harsh on the industry just think about the many products you have purchased such as every waterproof breathable garment that didn't actually function as advertised. Or the sleeping bag that did not keep you warm regardless of the temperature rating applied to it. How about every material that claimed to not have an odor or was supposed to wick away the moisture. So long as people are prepared to buy these hocus pocus products and not return them to the stores they were purchased from the retailers will not put pressure on their suppliers and the beat will just go on!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!