Vital and overlooked indeed! Actually these are all excellent though outside-the-box ideas. I think I'm going to try the anti-odorant spray as a gift for self.
My husband, who is a runner, swears by Oofos as a relaxation shoe. He has the slides and the clog ones. Last Christmas I got him the Low sport relaxation shoe (up 1/2 size as recommended) and he wears them all the time, even for several mile walks!
I have a bunion, high arches, and occasional plantar fasciitis, and love my Oofos flip flops- only ones that work for me!
Agree with you - I was unable to run anymore because of metatarsal pain, but this design works well for my high arched foot such that I can run again. Glad working for your husband, too!
the Oofos sounded lovely, and I was going to recommend them to a friend, until I looked at the pictures. They are made with this trendy, fad-y rocker design that aims to *make* you roll heel to toe and that could be unstable for some. Note the much shallower, sloped sole on the heel and toe. I would *not* recommend them for people with tendonitis issues in the ankle! Anyone who has trouble with Hoka running shoes, for instance, should not wear these. Skechers was once Infamous for this for a while too.
Hi Elizabeth - good points here. For people with balance/instability issues these types of shoes and the rocking motion might be destabilizing. Personally I find them great, but my foot has high arches. Flat feet would likely find the exaggerated arch support too much. They do have money-back guarantee I think. But without these shoes I have recurrent pain in my fore foot and can't get back into jogging. No one size fits all ;)
Not sure about the tendonitis. I could also see the opposite, as they tend to provide more dynamic stretching of the achilles than regular shoes... but you might be right. Any source or just an educated guess?
Also a friend who's always had good feet and ankles with high arches but developed severe ankle problems wearing Skechers. She often goes barefoot and never had a problem before that.
I would add that if the Achilles is already damaged and needs to be rested these are *not* a good idea.
If the lateral ankle stabilizers like the peroneus group or the posterior tibialis have problems also not a good idea.
Thanks Elizabeth. We have a local shoe store called Philadelphia Runners that is surprisingly good with shoe fits and nuances. Barefoot on hardwood floors becomes more difficult for most with age as the bones get knobbier. Wish I could do that still! thanks for the good additions here!
Love this zany, yet practical, set of recommendations. Here’s another I’d like to add to the off beat holiday gift list: the freeze sleeve. I had a knee problem, with accompanying inflammation, and the usual ice packs slipped and slid, didn’t provide adequate coverage, in sum, just didn’t do the job. I searched around and found this, which not only gave complete coverage but also was much easier to use: https://www.freezesleeve.com/ Happy holidays!
Very cool! (Zany pun intended) Such a good idea for knees and elbows. Sometimes I will ice preventatively. Will bookmark these for future reference and suggest to select people. Thank you!!
I like the anti-odorant spray in theory, but in reality, few things irk me like wet pits. So it’s aluminum plugs for me.
Thanks for the review on OOFOS. Wondering if you’ve ever looked into those flat sneakers and sandals, the ones with zero heel drop? Can’t recall the popular brand right now. Apparently they’re supposed to let your feet actually feel the ground so your sense of proprioception gets closer to how it is for indigenous folks. There’s also purportedly benefits to “grounding,” or walking barefoot on the earth to get the negative ionic charge from the soil (or maybe it’s a positive charge, I can’t recall).
Agreed, when sweating is to be prevented, absolutely need to plug the pores. I'd be interested in the flat ones but for me with a high arch i need that support, exaggerated when possible. Walking barefoot is a young person's game I'm afraid. I prefer that, but its now painful if done much. The grounding theory is not evidence based, or at least poorly supported as far as I know, but minimal potential for harm, as long as there is not some price tag associated with a product claiming unproven benefit, and 'orthopedically' not painful for the individual :)
I do think there are devices sold for when the weather doesn't permit grounding outside, but I don't plan to buy a device for that. Here's a blog from Dr. Eleanor Stein that I linked to in a recent post of mine; she cites a few sources, but admittedly I've not done a deeper dive. She has tended to be trustworthy and non-gimmicky, so I'd hope anything she posts, she's done the dive into (but I know that's not always the case). https://www.eleanorsteinmd.ca/blog/earthing
Vital and overlooked indeed! Actually these are all excellent though outside-the-box ideas. I think I'm going to try the anti-odorant spray as a gift for self.
The BP techniques are essential!
Hi Grant - "a friend of mine" uses the anti-odorant spray and can also vouch for how well it works, especially with more time using ;)
Not good for anti-perspirant purposes though.
My husband, who is a runner, swears by Oofos as a relaxation shoe. He has the slides and the clog ones. Last Christmas I got him the Low sport relaxation shoe (up 1/2 size as recommended) and he wears them all the time, even for several mile walks!
I have a bunion, high arches, and occasional plantar fasciitis, and love my Oofos flip flops- only ones that work for me!
Agree with you - I was unable to run anymore because of metatarsal pain, but this design works well for my high arched foot such that I can run again. Glad working for your husband, too!
Thank you so much. These are great gift ideas, though I wouldn't recommend sending the deodorant to a friend- they might take it amiss!
Thanks Michael - and I agree, makes a better self-gift, gag gift, or just an idea to share!
I will try it for my own use. Also I have an Omron BP cuff and am very satisfied. Your instructions for best practices are invaluable
the Oofos sounded lovely, and I was going to recommend them to a friend, until I looked at the pictures. They are made with this trendy, fad-y rocker design that aims to *make* you roll heel to toe and that could be unstable for some. Note the much shallower, sloped sole on the heel and toe. I would *not* recommend them for people with tendonitis issues in the ankle! Anyone who has trouble with Hoka running shoes, for instance, should not wear these. Skechers was once Infamous for this for a while too.
Hi Elizabeth - good points here. For people with balance/instability issues these types of shoes and the rocking motion might be destabilizing. Personally I find them great, but my foot has high arches. Flat feet would likely find the exaggerated arch support too much. They do have money-back guarantee I think. But without these shoes I have recurrent pain in my fore foot and can't get back into jogging. No one size fits all ;)
Not sure about the tendonitis. I could also see the opposite, as they tend to provide more dynamic stretching of the achilles than regular shoes... but you might be right. Any source or just an educated guess?
Not just my knowledge but a PCP who is a sportsmed guy and coaches running
Also a friend who's always had good feet and ankles with high arches but developed severe ankle problems wearing Skechers. She often goes barefoot and never had a problem before that.
I would add that if the Achilles is already damaged and needs to be rested these are *not* a good idea.
If the lateral ankle stabilizers like the peroneus group or the posterior tibialis have problems also not a good idea.
Thanks Elizabeth. We have a local shoe store called Philadelphia Runners that is surprisingly good with shoe fits and nuances. Barefoot on hardwood floors becomes more difficult for most with age as the bones get knobbier. Wish I could do that still! thanks for the good additions here!
Love this zany, yet practical, set of recommendations. Here’s another I’d like to add to the off beat holiday gift list: the freeze sleeve. I had a knee problem, with accompanying inflammation, and the usual ice packs slipped and slid, didn’t provide adequate coverage, in sum, just didn’t do the job. I searched around and found this, which not only gave complete coverage but also was much easier to use: https://www.freezesleeve.com/ Happy holidays!
Very cool! (Zany pun intended) Such a good idea for knees and elbows. Sometimes I will ice preventatively. Will bookmark these for future reference and suggest to select people. Thank you!!
I like the anti-odorant spray in theory, but in reality, few things irk me like wet pits. So it’s aluminum plugs for me.
Thanks for the review on OOFOS. Wondering if you’ve ever looked into those flat sneakers and sandals, the ones with zero heel drop? Can’t recall the popular brand right now. Apparently they’re supposed to let your feet actually feel the ground so your sense of proprioception gets closer to how it is for indigenous folks. There’s also purportedly benefits to “grounding,” or walking barefoot on the earth to get the negative ionic charge from the soil (or maybe it’s a positive charge, I can’t recall).
Agreed, when sweating is to be prevented, absolutely need to plug the pores. I'd be interested in the flat ones but for me with a high arch i need that support, exaggerated when possible. Walking barefoot is a young person's game I'm afraid. I prefer that, but its now painful if done much. The grounding theory is not evidence based, or at least poorly supported as far as I know, but minimal potential for harm, as long as there is not some price tag associated with a product claiming unproven benefit, and 'orthopedically' not painful for the individual :)
I do think there are devices sold for when the weather doesn't permit grounding outside, but I don't plan to buy a device for that. Here's a blog from Dr. Eleanor Stein that I linked to in a recent post of mine; she cites a few sources, but admittedly I've not done a deeper dive. She has tended to be trustworthy and non-gimmicky, so I'd hope anything she posts, she's done the dive into (but I know that's not always the case). https://www.eleanorsteinmd.ca/blog/earthing