Are Your Winter Boots Harming Your Feet? 3 Things to Look For

We use footwear for protection, but several factors affect whether what you wear is actually good for your feet in the long term. Our feet provide articulation, flexibility, balance, and sensory information, and many shoes make some of those basic functions more difficult. 

Basic aspects of footwear, such as heel height, toe box, and arch support, can do more harm than good if they’re not well designed. Winter boots, which keep feet warm and safe in cold weather, can also cause foot problems. To avoid these issues, let’s review how this can happen, what symptoms to look for, and how you can keep your feet safer.

Dr. Glen Beede and the dedicated medical team at Trinity Foot & Ankle Specialists want to help you preserve foot health during the colder months, and we offer many ways to keep your feet safe.

How winter boots can harm feet

A combination of different issues leads to foot problems from winter boots, which include things like:

• Cold feet: boots with poor insulation fail at keeping feet warm

• Tight-fitting boots: If they’re too snug, they can decrease blood circulation

• Blisters: areas of the boots can cause friction on the feet that leads to painful blisters

• Bunions: if boots are narrow and squeeze toes, they can cause bony bumps to develop

• Athlete’s foot: moisture buildup in non-breathable boots increases the risk of fungal infection

• Ingrown toenails: tight-fitting boots also crowd toes, often causing ingrown nails in the big toe

Signs to look for

If you’re going out and need proper footwear this winter, make sure your boots don’t give you these problems:

1. Foot pain

Ill-fitting boots can cause pain in several areas of your feet, compressing toes, hurting arches, causing blisters that sting, and increasing the risk of bunions, corns, calluses, and hammertoes.

1. Moisture and infection

Feet should be warm in your boots, but not sweaty. Excessive moisture from walking in boots creates an ideal environment for bacteria and fungi that cause athlete’s foot and infected toenails.

1. Poor support

Boots that don’t provide the correct support cause pain and weaken arches, soles, and other parts of the feet. They also make it more likely you struggle with ligament strains and foot fatigue.

Ways to protect feet

To keep your feet safe when doing your daily activities in winter boots, try these helpful hints:

• Wear shoes that fit: anything on your feet should be comfortable, so avoid anything that makes your feet hurt

• Use orthotics if necessary: shoe inserts can help give feet support if boots don’t provide it

• Get boots with proper traction: you need a safe surface to walk on, and boots that will help keep you upright

• Avoid high heels: these damage your arches and cause foot pain

• Keep walking areas safe: avoid slipping and falling by shoveling and clearing where you walk

• Stretch and warm up: before getting active, foot stretches can help, especially if you have foot pain

To manage foot conditions and prevent them during this cold winter, schedule an appointment with Dr. Beede and the team at Trinity Foot & Ankle Specialists today.