Well, Readers, after all the excitement of the past few days I thought it must surely be time to bring things back to the personal, so here is a photo of what is possibly the most unattractive footwear that I’ve ever owned. But Readers! These boots, which make my size eight feet look even more like flippers than usual, are possibly the most comfortable things I’ve ever worn. Furthermore, I took them for a road trip today – down the hill to East Finchley Station, along Upper Street to pilates and back – and for once I could feel the ground under my feet, which made me feel much more confident.
I definitely have some form of neuropathy, but I’ve found that this is exacerbated by thick soles – shoes like that might protect my ankles, but they make my feet feel more numb than usual. With these barefoot shoes, my feet spread, and the soles are both thin and very slip-resistant, so I can feel the different levels on the pavements and surfaces. Plus, they are warm – my feet get cold very easily, which adds to the numbness, so being toasty is a nice change.
Finally, they seem to encourage me to move my ankles – they are pretty flat, so I have to roll through the foot and use it how it’s meant to be used, if that makes any sense. My legs are tired now I’m back home, but I do think that they’re marginally less tired than they were last week.
The only drawback is that they’re not waterproof, which is a shame. I shall have to keep my eyes open to see if I can find some that are.
Anyhow, thanks to everyone who was enthusiastic about barefoot shoes – if these help me to stay vertical for a longer period of time, they really will be a gamechanger.
And in other news, my appointment for a nerve conduction test came through – it’s for the 3rd February. It seems like a long time away, but the speed that the months are going past I’m sure it will be here in no time!
Comfort and safety before beauty any day!
I’m so glad you’ve made the switch. I LOVE my barefoot shoes (and boots) and seldom wear anything else these days. I have wide feet, high insteps & arches and narrow heels. Lately I have added bunions into the mix, so you can imagine how difficult my feet are to fit! Mine are Vivobarefoot brand and though expensive I cannot recommend them highly enough. They even take them back to renovate and sell reconditioned footwear!
I think that the Vivo lot have an actual shop in London, I might pop in when I’m back from my short trip this week to see what they have that might work for Canada….
Can you tell me the make of the boots and where you got them? And did you get them in your normal size. My partner has issues with neuropathy in her feet.
Hi Andrea, the boots are from a company called Hike, but someone else who likes barefoot shoes also recommended Vivobarefoot – those look a bit more robust than mine (not sure they would really stand up to a hike in the woods!) And I got them in my normal size, though if your partner is planning on wearing thick socks I’d go a size up. Vivo actually has a ‘real’ shop but it’s in Covent Garden :-(. My Hike boots have helped with my neuropathy, I think largely because I can really ‘feel’ the pavement, and also because they keep my feet a bit warmer, which seems to help. They do change your gait a bit though as they’re so flat, so if you have problems with ankle flexibility I’d wear them for a bit at a time until you get used to them. Give your partner a hug from me, neuropathy is awful and not as well diagnosed/treated/appreciated as it could be.
She says thank you very much from a like-minded sufferer, she appreciates the camararderie 🙂