Kicking off your shoes when you get home may feel like sweet, sweet relief, but the habit can come with its own share of consequences—especially for people who are prone to foot issues.
The post-pandemic rise of remote and hybrid jobs has brought the fallout of barefoot-living to the forefront, Elizabeth Daughtry, DPM, FACFAS, a North Carolina–based podiatrist, tells SELF. Many people who were used to walking outside in shoes are now spending more time barefoot at home, which could be driving up cases of plantar fasciitis, a painful condition involving inflammation of the tissue in the arch, Dr. Dunn says. And that’s just one issue that can crop up when you constantly stride around sole-free.
And yet, going barefoot at home isn’t all bad, depending on your foot type and activity level. After all, shoes can be constricting, limiting range of motion in ways that lead to foot problems, Daniel Stewart, MD, a podiatrist at HCA Florida Mercy Hospital, tells SELF.
Read on to learn whether you may be better off wearing shoes all (or most) of the time at home, plus how to choose supportive house shoes that can help keep your feet pain-free.
Why walking around barefoot at home all the time could lead to foot problems
First, there’s the obvious danger of acute injury—tripping on a rug, falling down the stairs, stepping on “Legos and Barbie shoes,” Alicia Canzanese, DPM, ATC, a Pennsylvania-based podiatrist and athletic trainer, tells SELF. And if you need to flee quickly because of a fire or natural disaster, you don’t want to do so barefoot, Dr. Daughtry says.
Other issues can develop over time. When you’re off your feet for hours (say, sitting at your desk or overnight), your plantar fascia—that band of tissue that connects the base of your toes to your heel—tightens up, Dr. Daughtry says. If you go straight from your chair or your bed to stepping down barefoot, you risk overstressing and irritating the taut tissue.
Walking a lot or standing for hours without arch support can also cause pain in a ball of the foot, known as metatarsalgia, Dr. Daughtry says. That’s because your foot can flatten against the floor over time, putting extra pressure on your metatarsals. This can also lay the groundwork for a Morton’s neuroma, or irritation of the nerve tissue between the third and fourth toe, given that nerve is in closer contact with the floor, Jeffrey M. DeLott, DPM, a podiatric surgeon at Hartford HealthCare’s Connecticut Orthopaedic Institute, tells SELF.
Who should especially avoid walking around barefoot
There are a few categories of people who should largely avoid being shoeless, such as those who:
- Have flat feet (low arches) or high arches
- Have a foot condition like plantar fasciitis, Achilles tendonitis, or a neuroma, or regularly deal with any amount of foot pain
- Have a condition that reduces circulation or causes neuropathy in their feet
People with very low or high arches may be at greater risk for developing plantar fasciitis with lots of time spent barefoot because of the uneven distribution of weight on their feet, Dr. Daughtry says. Those with flat feet tend to pronate or roll inward on their feet, which can also inflame the posterior tendon running along the inside of the ankle, causing pain in this region, Dr. DeLott notes. And the opposite can happen in people with very archy feet, who tend to supinate (or roll their feet outward). As a result, “they’re more likely to irritate the peroneal tendon, which tracks up the outside of the ankle,” he says.
High-arched people also tend to have looser ankles, or may be hypermobile, Dr. DeLott says. Without the support of shoes, they could be more likely to twist or sprain an ankle.
If you’re already dealing with a foot condition, going barefoot can make it worse. Same goes if you have any foot pain that isn’t tied to a specific diagnosis. For example, your soles might feel sensitive due to natural age-related thinning of the fat pads lining them, Dr. Canzanese says. Walking around without the cushioning of a shoe just piles on extra impact. When you’re barefoot, you might also be more tempted to compensate for foot pain by shifting your weight to the inside or outside of your foot, which risks causing a new ache, she adds. The structure of shoes can gently nudge your feet into better alignment.
Going shoeless is also of particular danger for those with neuropathy (nerve damage) or circulation issues in their feet, Dr. Canzanese says, as can occur with diabetes, autoimmune diseases and infections like Lyme disease, and even high blood pressure. With neuropathy, you might not feel it if you step on something sharp. And if your circulation is poor, any injury you develop will be slow to heal and prone to infection. “Many times, we see patients with diabetes who come in with an infection, and it turns out, there’s a sewing needle in their toe or another foreign object they didn’t realize they stepped on,” Dr. DeLott says. Socks may help you avoid that, but you’re still safer with a full-fledged shoe.
Who may benefit from going barefoot at home some of the time
If you don’t fall into the above categories—meaning your feet are pain-free with an average arch—it might behoove you to spend at least some of your at-home hours barefoot. Most shoes push your toes together so they don’t splay naturally as you walk; that compression may cause or worsen conditions like bunions (bony bumps at the base of your big toe) and hammertoes (tight tendons that force your toes into a curled-up position), Dr. Stewart says.
Plus, wearing shoes all the time can weaken the little intrinsic muscles between your toes, Dr. Canzanese says. These muscles control your arch height, stabilize your toes, and support your balance and proprioception, or your sense of where your extremities are in space. But some shoes, particularly cushion-y ones, do some of that work for you.
Not only can this cause foot problems when you switch it up and go barefoot, it can also start to interfere with running and activities that include it. By contrast, strengthening your foot muscles can reduce your injury risk and even improve your running performance. And while you can do specific foot exercises like toe yoga—say, lifting your big toe separately from your other toes or gripping the ground with your feet—spending some dedicated time simply walking around barefoot also fits the bill, Dr. Canzanese says.
How to safely go barefoot at home if you want to
You wouldn’t go from never lifting weights to picking up the heaviest dumbbell you can find at the gym—similarly, you don’t want to go from never walking barefoot to spending the entire WFH day on your feet, Dr. Canzanese says. So if you’re not a regular barefoot-dweller, start with 20 to 30 minutes, she suggests, and build up slowly. Make it relatively chill—think a mix of sitting, standing, and walking, rather than vacuuming the entire house.
Also keep in mind that carpet offers a bit more cushioning than hardwood or tile, so you might want to start and proceed more cautiously on those harder surfaces, and make sure your path is free of tripping hazards and sharp, small objects, Dr. Stewart says.
You can take advantage of time spent barefoot and seated by doing some gentle ankle circles, foot stretching, or the aforementioned toe yoga, Dr. DeLott points out. (He recommends that people with plantar fasciitis also roll their arches on a frozen water bottle.)
All the while, stay aware that if you do start to have foot symptoms, it could be related to the lack of support for your feet throughout the day, Dr. DeLott says. And at that point, it’s worth reconsidering whether going barefoot so often is serving you.
How to choose a good house shoe
The right house shoe depends on your anatomy and any aches and pains you’re already coping with. If you have plantar fasciitis or are in the middle of an arthritis flare, look for a pair with a stiff sole and a supportive arch, Dr. Canzanese says. This helps reduce any extra motion in your foot, almost the way an ankle brace can stabilize the joint. An easy bet is a regular lace-up tennis sneaker or walking shoe, Dr. DeLott says. (Just designate a pair that you only wear at home versus double-dipping with an outside shoe; studies have found a wide range of germs can hitch a ride on your soles into your house.)
If you’re dealing with pain along your soles, your focus should be more on cushioning, so keep an eye out for something soft. And if your floors are mostly hard rather than carpeted, you’ll want good shock absorption, Dr. Daughtry says.
For those who aren’t currently in pain but want to prevent foot issues, Dr. Daughtry suggests a slide, slipper, or regular shoe that has substantial arch support but is also flexible enough to absorb impact when you step down.
Dr. Stewart swears by Birkenstocks, which have arch support and plenty of room for toes to move, flex, and splay. And Dr. Canzanese likes Crocs for similar reasons, noting that they even have fuzzy, lined versions for cooler weather. Just wear them in sport mode—with the strap flapped down—especially if you have any balance or nerve issues. In those cases, you might be better off with a shoe that has a back, like a classic sneaker, Dr. DeLott points out. If tying and untying the laces feels like a barrier, he suggests going for a slip-on option, many of which have a supportive back but allow you to wriggle your feet into them hands-free.
Related:
- 5 Ways You Could Be Making Your Plantar Fasciitis Worse
- The Best Ways to Treat Dry, Cracked Heels in the Winter, According to Dermatologists
- Do Toe Spacers Really Work or Are Their ‘Benefits’ Just Bunk?
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