Some of us may have, from time to time, suffered from a crack in the back of our heel. These are common occurances. The dry tough skin on the backs of our heels can easily be reduced by using a pumice stone frequently when we shower/bath.
Because a majority of Martial Artists often train in bare feet it is imparitive that any open areas on our feet be covered and protected from any unwanted germs and it is curteous to our other practitioners that we protect them from whatever ailment our feet might be carrying. Most people don't realise how easy it is to contract a virus or bacterial infection just by walking around barefoot. All it really takes is to walk over the same place that someone else walked that has an infection already.
A friend of mine today showed me her right leg at an event we were both at. It was swollen red and hot to touch. My first question was whether or not she had an open wound on her foot or leg and she turned her heel around to show me a rather large crack in her heal. This lady hates shoes and wears sandals and bare feet pretty much all of the time, even in the winter. The redness and swelling wrapped around her entire ankle and half way up her calf. She said it hurt a little but tingled more then anything. Right now she is at the hospital, the doctors think it is cellulitis, a bacterial infection of the skin.
Some important things to remember when training barefoot should be:
Hope you don't mind my little bit of advice and take it into account next time you are training. Our feet often get neglected but are expected to bare the weight of our bodies every day.
Because a majority of Martial Artists often train in bare feet it is imparitive that any open areas on our feet be covered and protected from any unwanted germs and it is curteous to our other practitioners that we protect them from whatever ailment our feet might be carrying. Most people don't realise how easy it is to contract a virus or bacterial infection just by walking around barefoot. All it really takes is to walk over the same place that someone else walked that has an infection already.
A friend of mine today showed me her right leg at an event we were both at. It was swollen red and hot to touch. My first question was whether or not she had an open wound on her foot or leg and she turned her heel around to show me a rather large crack in her heal. This lady hates shoes and wears sandals and bare feet pretty much all of the time, even in the winter. The redness and swelling wrapped around her entire ankle and half way up her calf. She said it hurt a little but tingled more then anything. Right now she is at the hospital, the doctors think it is cellulitis, a bacterial infection of the skin.
Some important things to remember when training barefoot should be:
- Wear shoes if possible.
- If wearing shoes is not allowed, make sure your training area is as clean as possible. Regular cleaning of the mats, floor, etc. will help reduce bacteria and fungus from being transferred to other people
- Wash your feet with an antibacterial soap both before and after training. It won't kill everything but it helps reduce the risk.
- Moisturize and use a pumice stone on any dry areas to help prevent unwanted cracking of the skin, thus reducing your chances of picking up anything from your training area.
Hope you don't mind my little bit of advice and take it into account next time you are training. Our feet often get neglected but are expected to bare the weight of our bodies every day.
