Barefoot Shoes and lymphoedema

[SRML]

Wondering if anyone with lymphoedema in the foot has any experience of barefoot shoes? I’m wondering if allowing my feet to move naturally without my chipolata toes being restricted would be beneficial in encouraging lymph flow. Barefoot shoes also encourage you to use your calf and gluteal muscles when walking which must be a good thing. Thanks everyone 🙏

[naominorthenellis]

Hi,

yes I used to use these for a weekly outdoor training session, but i don't have lymphoedema in my feet - if your lymphoedema is affecting your toes then I am not entirely sure how you would get on with them as the toe sections may be too tight with your compression garment. Also, there is no cushioning as there is in regular training shoes and they really don't support the whole foot very well - I only used them for training, not general daily wear.

Sorry not to sound more positive, I liked them for the purpose I bought them, but they are expensive and it would be a shame to waste money on something that isn't going to be good for you - having said all that if you buy them on-line you can easily return them!

best,

Naomi

[SRML in reply to naominorthenellis]

Thanks for replying Naomi. I would definitely struggle with individual toes, as you suggest, but they seem to have moved on and now make just a wide shoe. I know it takes commitment to get used to them but I wondered if it would be a good thing to get the lymph moving around all those little bones that we no longer move because of our modern footwear. As with so many products I guess it’s a suck it and see situation!

[naominorthenellis in reply to SRML]

Hi,

i guess so, but yoga is good for the feet too! let me know how you get on, the way we use our feet informs the muscles in the legs too, so that heel to toe action, which you are more aware of in these shoes, could be very effective and really helping to pump lymph fluid through the legs. it sounds ridiculous but we so often we just 'plonk' our feet down, one in front of the other without using the full range of motion in the feet!

[SRML in reply to naominorthenellis]

Exactly! Think I feel an experiment coming on!

[Chris21 in reply to SRML]

I will be interested to hear how you get on if you decide to experiment. I will admit I wasn’t sure what you were talking about to begin with. I had to google to see what they were, 😂 I found some interesting u tubes. I’m not sure if they would be wide enough for my feet (also fat toes) .

Would you buy them for everyday use or just exercise? I wear trainers all the time when going out as I need my ankle to be well supported, at home it’s no shoes, bare feet as It’s a great to feeling of less restriction. I tend to do most of my exercises with bare feet, so that I can be conscious of bending individual joints, therefore if barefoot work in the same way…….they may be worth the money.

[SRML in reply to Chris21]

Hi Chris21…I’m fortunate that I only have slight swelling in my foot so think I should be ok with the fit. This all started with Achilles problem and I was advised that walking barefoot is beneficial in lots of ways. Of course, going barefoot is a bit scary because of risk of injury/ treading on wasps etc. so I started to research barefoot shoes as a possible solution for everyday wear. It just makes sense to me that it may help to move that lymph that gets stuck around my foot and ankle. It changes the way you walk and fires up the calf and gluteals. I would really like to progress to a hiking boot but, like you I’ve always thought I would need ankle support. I think the key is to build up the strength in your foot and ankle slowly so that you don’t need so much support. Our feet have been constrained in modern shoes all our lives and do not work as nature intended. I will experiment and keep posting. I think it’s worth a try 😊

[DeadfootMo]

I think one of the biggest issues that we have as lymphoedema sufferers is comfort in wearing shoes. How long in the day can you wear your shoes for, even if at the point of purchase you felt they were the most comfortable and had the perfect fit?

The reason why I have asked the question is because maybe we ought to consider several types of shoe to wear at different points of the day and that should include sandels, crocs and shoes like sketchers or trainers even. Purely to ease painful swollen feet.

I also think employers should be made aware if employees suffer from Lymohoedema and that they may prefer to wear a variety of shoes during the day. From those that look smart to those that don't but are comfortable to wear, even if they are deemed unsafe by the employer. The exception here of course is construction industry workers they have no choice but to wear safety boots or safety trainers.

For example: I am a teacher and I was informed that I was not allowed to wear sandels or crocs as these shoes were deemed unsafe in a school. So everyday I have had to put up with the agony of wearing shoes that I had bought especially for my lympohedema and everyday at the end of school I was so glad to put my feet into a pair of crocs to give my feet a chance to feel cool and relieved of pain. To me the wearing of sandels or crocs are safe on the proviso that you are not trying to run ragged around a school or other office type building.

If you have a an office job, sales job that relies on the telephone or you have a job where you are online a lot, nobody is going to see your feet, so you should be able to wear what feels comfortable for your condition.

[SRML in reply to DeadfootMo]

Absolutely DeadfootMo! I think that one of the aims of the Lymphoedema Support Network is to have lymphoedema recognised as a disability as this may really help in these situations. You should absolutely be supported by your employers and I’m really sorry you are suffering in this way.

[DeadfootMo in reply to SRML]

Hello again SRML,

I raised this because this will affect sufferers who are of working age in jobs. As a teacher I might be in a seat and at a pc for say 20 minutes first thing say around 8{10 - 8:30 and then spend the next 4 on my feet in a classroom, so by mid-day, I would love to change into a pair of sandels or crocs, but it isn't allowed on Health and Safety grounds.

The issue is around trying to inflict uniforms or standards of dress on employees. I do see how this can make you look smart and corporate, especially as so many poor performing schools, go in for a name change by becoming academies ran by the world of industry, business and commerce.

Airports are the same they insist female members of staff wear court shoes so if someone suffers slightly from say swollen feet and not lymphoedema they too should be allowed to wear a fully strapped up sandel or flat shoe with holes in the top to allow the feet to breathe as these shoes still look smart, but more importantly they are comfortable.

Not sure if men have similar issues so would love to hear if they do.

Maureen

[BedfordBoy in reply to DeadfootMo]

Hi Deadfoot Mo, I empathise with you there. Before I retired I worked for a University and it wasn't unusual to clock up 4-5 miles per day walking around the Campus. As you can imagine, I was in agony by the end of the day. So one day, out of desperation I arrived with a selection of footwear to help me through the day. Formal shoes at the beginning, then sports shoes/trainers later in the day. This didn't sit well with the bosses who told me that sports shoes /trainers are not part of the uniform. I got round the problem by getting plain black Sketchers with arch support and shading in the big 'S' on the side. "I wore them all day long and it saved my feet from torture! No one was any the wiser as they looked like regular shoes, therefore "part of the uniform" As the saying goes, there's more than one way to skin a cat!

[DeadfootMo in reply to BedfordBoy]

Amazing post. And shading in the S. I will have to have a pair of those. Sketchers.

[Loramay in reply to DeadfootMo]

DeadFootMo I worked in a special needs school and due to my lipoedema and lymphoedema with a letter written by my doctor had to let me wear sandals or crocs. First of all you need to request an appointment with occupational health and if this health condition affects you for more than 6 months the occupational health will talk to you and recommend what is needed to make your work space accessible for you eg sandals or crocs plus a doctors letter they are required to allow you adjustment for your health condition. Hope this helps

[DeadfootMo in reply to Loramay]

Hello Loramay,

Most Colleges allow you to wear what you want, but I have noticed that schools that are run by the business sector and are called academies have their own specific dress codes. Sad but I think that after my interviews today I'm heading back into colleges. It felt so relaxing this morning when my interviewers were wearing plimsols. But in the school I finished teaching at in July gone court shoes and stilletos were the general form of dress for females and the males all had to wear smart brogues. Sad when common sense is eroded to allow stupid shoes for all day wear, I mean even normal people with nothing wrong were complaining about aching feet. I also noticed a few teaching staff switching in to flatties doing desk work and then putting their shoes back on for classrooms. It's just daft and totally inconsiderate.

[Loramay in reply to DeadfootMo]

We were run as an academy and had a dress code but it doesn't matter what the dress code is what occupational health says goes they were mad that they were told I had to wear adjustable sandals or crocs but they have to abide with their rules so stick to your guns and request a occupational health referral

[DeadfootMo in reply to Loramay]

That is good advice about getting an occupational health check and letter. I just live in dread of winter now. As all of us have no choice but to wear boots. I have a pair of laceups with a small heal, but the top two holes I never use so the top of my boots gape a bit when my ankles and the bottom of my legs are swollen, Hence trousers over the top hide this well.

[Loramay in reply to DeadfootMo]

I love winter as my leg's don't swell as much in the colder weather I also find wearing high top trainer good as it contains my foot swelling up to the ankle were my easy wraps take over plus it's fashionable with dresses at the moment although you are lucky to have only 2 holes open I can't get anything above my ankle done up as my legs even with the top class of compression are huge

[Perido]

Hi

I've been aware of barefoot shoes for a while and often wondered if they might help my lymphie foot. However I'm reasonably content now, since finding some compression toe caps that are effective in controlling the swelling in my toes. I look for shoes (usually lace up and flat) with a roomy toe box to allow my toes a good amount of 'wriggle space'.

[DeadfootMo in reply to Perido]

That is good news you have found comppression toe caps. I must admit shoes should allow a little wriggle space for toes. I tried a pair on yesterday and there was no wriggle space for toes so they felt too tight in that area only, the rest of the shoe was a fit, but because there was no wriggle space I didn't buy them.

[apples4u]

I just wish I could find a shoe that fits my swollen feet. I have a lot of pain on the bottom of my feet I try to find very soft cushion soles. I bet I have bought 20 pairs and had to return each one of them. Any suggestions from anyone?

[Perido in reply to apples4u]

Ask your GP for a referral to an orthotics clinic who will be able to get custom fit shoes made for you.

You might benefit from podiatrist advice about the pain you are experiencing.

[Msrsbsr]

when you say custom fit shoes are they expensive. I have spent hundreds of pounds on orthopaedic shoes but they never fit my swollen feet. I also find that the skin on my right leg is much drier than the left. Any idea why?

[Perido in reply to Msrsbsr]

In the UK the NHS will fund custom fit shoes for eligible patients.

There could be a number of reasons why the skin on one leg is drier than the other. Lymphoedema and wearing compression leads to skin dryness and it's very important to moisturise the affected area on a daily basis to reduce the risk for cellulitis. If the lymphoedema is only in, or worse in, your right leg then that could explain the difference.

[Msrsbsr]

thanks for your input. I have Lymphedema in both legs & I have had Cellulitus which is awful.

[Msrsbsr]

I’ve never heard of them but they sound interesting.

[socksmad]

Late to the party but I've had a good experience. I don't have bad lymphodema in my feet at all, but have nonetheless found the wider toe box just comfortable off the bat. If you're worried about the feeling of no proper sole protection but still want the wide toe box, I'd recommend the Birkenstock trainers (I think something like 'bend low'). They're not cheap, but they have the much bigger toe space whilst also having a really comfortable sole