Does anyone else stub their toes when walking barefoot?

Two of the last three times I've gone barefoot in the city, yours truly has managed to stub his toe on the pavement. I've learned from past experiences to keep bandaids or plasters on me in case of such emergencies. Also, it has long since been speculated by family and friends that one of my legs is longer than the other and the constant stubbing of my toes might be all the proof I need of that.

 

I've stubbed and broken toes many times. Much better than deforming my feet inside foot coffins (shoes). I wonder if anyone has legs that are exactly the same length, my left foot is longer than the right. I've noticed that some folks have one shoulder higher than the other too.

 

I find that I'm less likely to stub my toes when barefoot. But I do sometimes end up dragging a foot for a step.

It's all the uneven sidewalks and stuff you have to watch out for!

 

Once in a great while; long-term barefooting enhances your subconscious ability to watch where you're walking, so it happens less and less as years go by.

When it does happen, the muscles in my feet are developed to the point where I can ram them pretty darn hard and just bounce off with no harm/little pain.

 

Yeah I can attest to the above comment. I used to stub toes often my first couple of years going barefoot. Now I hardly ever do it. Maybe a small incident once a year and it doesn't hurt much anymore.

 

It happens sometimes, but not often. As the previous posters say, we develop the watchful gait, and see all obstacles coming. For me, it's less city and more hiking obstacles. Roots and rocks in trails. I've done a lot of barefoot hiking this year and I had a minor stubbing yesterday. After a groan or two I was off again.

Oddly enough, my worst incident was on a level asphalt driveway that I'm very used to walking over in bare feet. That was two years ago. I just somehow stubbed my big toe on this safe surface and tore it open with a lot of bleeding. There was a flap of flesh that had to be kept secure for several days. This had to have been my fault. And hopefully, my worst ever. Really don't know how it happened. Just a reminder to us all to stay alert, and this gets easier all the time.

 

Despite all your advice, yours truly has managed to stub his toe on at least two other occasions since my original post. I'm really starting to find this annoying because I don't remember stubbing them since childhood. Hopefully it's just a faze.

 

I did eactly the same earlier this year. Just walking along the road & stumbled somehow - scraped a flap off skin off my big toe. So I went inside, ripped the flap of skin off, cleaned it up, put a coupleof plasters on it & went back to work outside, still barefoot off course. The great thing by being barefoot is that when I stumbled my ankle was allowed to move freely, where as if I'd been wearing shoes I'd have undoubtedly sprained my ankle as well.

 

Once when walking through the woods there was this flat stone sticking up from the ground. My foot met the rock and I eneded up wacking the end of my left big toe, needless to say I was in great pain. Felt much better about a half hour later, thankfully no damage to my toe.

 

It happens occasionally, but quite rarely. Most often it happens in a forest, where there are tree roots. I think, you should develop a habit to raise your toes when putting a foot on the ground.

 

I think you maybe want to promote the idea of barefooting or you just feel the peoples looks at you when barefoot. And you want to make kind of good impression of being barefoot. This things happen. Not something to be ashamed about. Think how shoddies torture their feet, THEY should be ashamed.
I stub my toes sometimes. As I remember always the big toe.
But I don´t stub my toes as often as when I was a kid. I remember the feeling, one again stub a toe that´s already been stubbed some days ago. Hurts! I felt bad. I felt like, could I never learn to control my toes!
But we learn, when going barefoot our toes get stronger an more flexible. Our feet begin to lift the toes more when taking a step. The balls of our feet starts to hit the streets more than our toes. Our toes starts kind of slip over things on the street more than stub into it. As time goes by also our toes get toughened up and could stand to get stubbed more without injury or tend to get minor and move to around the nail.

 

What a difference a month makes. Fortunately, I darted barefoot around the city several times since I started this post and I'm proud to report that I haven't stubbed a toe since. Thank you to everyone who responded to this thread.

 

I´m glad things are going better for you now.