I haven't measured it, but my arches have always been in normal shape, which I sometimes check, when walking barefoot to work in the early morning and come across strips of dew-covered grass. Walking on that adds refreshment as well as fun, when then leaving barefoot tracks on the dry sidewalk: The raising of arches has been described by many barefooters and comes from the usage of muscles which regularly aren't used too much when wearing shoes. Since shoes constrict the natural movement of the soles compared to barefooting, the arches can't develop as well as when walking barefoot. So, in fact, the best recipe to build up your arches: bare your feet to the ground (with as many different textures as possible). Fun, pleasure and health in a nice package, and no one charges any money for it, either - as many podiatrists and orthopedic shoes dealers would, prescribing and selling inlays or special foot coffins. Another proof of the old saying: the best things in life are free. Wiggling bare toes, ~*Ganesha*~
Having a short big toe makes wearing shoes less comfortable. What we wear or don't wear does not change the bone structure.
Ya!.....I used to have flat feet. Now I have pretty high arches. Also, I have much more developed abdominals because pushing from the toes first is only possible using the abdominal muscles. My posture overall is near perfect, whereas I used to walk with a humped back. Sometimes, when I notice a little pain in my arches, I catch myself walking without centering the stress in my upper body. When I correct to a toe first push from the center of my body, the pain disappears.
This thread sucks.... I wanna go barefoot, but can't. I stepped on a juniper needle or something a while ago, getting close to two weeks.... I have a swelling between my middle and large toes on my left foot, it's like a mixture of a scar tissue nodule and a blister, with a lot of callus on it. It's painful as fuck to walk on, and walking to avoid it fucks up my ankle and the outer edge of my foot, from all the stress of supporting weight where it shouldn't be. I thought it just had a little irritation or infection and would clear up, but now I'm thinking the tip broke off or something. Where I live there's a lot of sharp plant matter on the ground, and lots of animal crap, so I thought it just got infected... I get stuff stuck in my feet all the time because it sticks in the callus and I don't feel it, then next time I put my foot down it turns it so it's pointing strait up and rams it home.... I think I'll walk the dog anyway.... it seemed like it would get better each day I didn't use it, but it seems to stop at a baseline of swelling. Fuck it. Maybe if I just walk on it it will get the callus growing faster and move whatever's in there out. I just don't wanna fuck anything up, I can feel the swelling binding on the bone and everything. I can't even see anything, it's waaaaay too far to pull it out... maybe if it doesn't dissolve I'll go to the doctor.
r Don't hesitate to go to the doctor. Remember that even a minor infection can be dangerous. Septic shock is one of the first things they taught us about.