What are the dangers of walking barefoot in towns/cities?

Question

I've walked barefoot practically all summer for every summer I can remember. However now that I'm a teenager my Mum is saying I need to wear shoes because of glass, needles, worms and diseases. I have done some research but no answer is super clear as to "What are the dangers of barefoot walking?"

I have stepped on tiny pieces of glass that have penetrated (and were tricky to dig out) as wells as bigger shards that didn't get through, and I have burned and blistered my feet out of my stubbornness. So, what are other relevant dangers of walking barefoot in a small town of Canada?

Answer 1

My family walks around barefoot all the time, not just in the summer. We used to live in Santa Clara County, California, but now live in Humboldt County of the same state. We've never had any serious problems and I would not discourage from doing this but there are several disadvantages:

1. By far the biggest disadvantage is that you will face significant judgment and discrimination. While walking barefoot you people will move to the other side of the street, sneer, shout things like "get some shoes", etc. Not everyone does this and outright aggression happens a lot more to the young women in my family than to me (I'm kinda big, they are really small), but it's a pretty serious concern. This doesn't just apply to strangers on the street, either-- expect to be refused service at many grocery stores, restaurants, and other places of business. Even public places in the wealthier parts of towns often have security that will lie to and threaten you to get/force you to leave if you are not wearing shoes. With regard to businesses, you will be told that "It's against the Health Code for us to allow customers without shoes in the bulding". That's, like, the number 1 reason given when they kick you out. It's also not true (the Health Code prohibits employees from not wearing shoes in certain occupations in certain regions, but neither area I have lived in have forbidden customers from not wearing shoes). Anyways, the harassment can be a real bother; be ready for it.

2. In the snow, it gets really cold. During the winter, sometimes it snows. Walking in the snow barefoot is alright for a little bit if your feet are used to it, but you risk frostbite if you're out long. If there's snow and ice on the ground, you should wear shoes or limit your time outside.

3. Feet washing is still important if you walk around barefoot. On the plus side, you are much less likely to get most common foot diseases and your feet will smell nice because they aren't in a moist, sweaty, warm, dark environment all the time. On the downside, your feet won't start to smell bad so you might not wash them as thoroughly as you otherwise would. Basically, just remember to wash.

4. The other barefoot issue is that if you step in something gross with shoes you can take your shoes off before entering the house and washing them. I find that it's far more difficult to take my foot off before entering the house! Avoid walking in terrain where you can't see what you're stepping on/in. This applies to things like tall grass and dense ferns or ivy. Since you can't see, you have no way to prevent yourself from stepping in something gross, like animal poop, or even something dangerous, like trash. This actually applies even when you are wearing shoes-- walking through such things damages the plants involved (less meaningfully in the case of grass) and exposes you to wild animal related risks like ticks. It may still be worth it to you, at various points in time, to partake in barefoot activities in grassy or otherwise groundcovered areas, but you should try to be aware of the risks and decide on a case by case basis. Personally, walking through tall grass barefoot makes me uncomfortable, so I don't do it unless I absolutely have to. No one in my family routinely walks through areas where you can't see what you're stepping in, so, while we haven't had any problems with this besides the occasional, really-gross-but-harmless stepping-in-dog-poop accident, I can't really speak to an overall risk assessment for your off-trail barefoot walking habits. On-trail and on streets in town you should be able to avoid doing this.

5. This doesn't apply to you at all, since you've been doing this for years, but if you haven't walked around barefoot before you may not be aware that it hurts. Concrete is rough and hard and will sand down your skin, which means that, until you build up callouses, your feet will start to hurt after walking around for just a bit. As your feet get tougher, it hurts less or not at all, but there's always more terrain that your feet will need to adapt to. Pine needle mats hurt until your feet get tough (then they can feel good instead-- very squishy XD ), gravel hurts always even with crazy rediculous feet (as far as I'm aware), concrete will always hurt if you walk on it long enough to sand down the callouses, but at some point that's no longer a feasible amount of time to walk. This isn't a danger, though, so much as it is unpleasant, unless you end up needing to run away from something else dangerous while barefoot and don't have enough callouses yet to support that.

Broken glass, nails, needles, etc are not real problems. We've never had any serious issues with that. It's true the streets are dirty sometimes, but you don't go tromping around in the gutter or over broken glass barefoot, and it's not like you end up doing those things on accident. The danger of that sort of thing happening is exaggerated in the minds of the community, possibly to disguise their more classist motivations for discriminating against the lack of shoes from themselves (see problem with walking barefoot #1).

Hookworms have been brought up enough times in comments to be addressed directly. There are no hookworms in Canada or the northern US and you are at no risk of Hookworm infection.

Answer 2

In my town, which is a neighborhood in a suburban location in Massachusetts, barefoot walking is common once the summer starts. I'm old and stay cold longer than most, so I don't even switch over to sandals until long after people like you have taken off your shoes! My "winter feet" are soft and vulnerable, so it takes time to build the callous and thicker skin my "summer feet" need to protect from burning (to a degree), and being vulnerable to some of the small shards of things.

I advise looking out for bigger rocks/stones. As your feet get bigger, so do the spaces between your toes, leaving you more susceptible to something getting caught between them, or in the space (arch) under your foot. Those can make you fall, and can be true on all the different surfaces you mentioned.

In the most polite way possible, I'd also like to mention droppings from animals (scat). We have strict laws about cleaning up after your dog on the sidewalk or on people's lawns, but I don't know if you have that. Still, I have to remember to frequently look down on the sidewalks and roads as I walk. The same is true in your yard and on the trails. There can be diseases present in the scat, and sometimes hard things like berries which stick in your feet. You probably know all that, since that falls into your Mum's category of diseases.

Animals also dig in the yard, and along the trail. I've often stepped into holes I didn't know were there and twisted toes and even an ankle. I even fell once and hurt my knee. Shoes can be helpful for support at times like that. I spend many hours in my garden during the summer, and always keep something on my feet, usually sneakers.

There are a few more things that pertain to all of the areas where you walk. Tree "droppings" can be annoying, and potentially dangerous too. Nuts and acorns can be tripped over. Sap can be sticky and liable to cause a fall. Pinecones can be sharp enough to cause open sores. If people on your street have lots of trees, that may be an issue. The same is true along the trails you mentioned. Also in the yard and on the trails, certain insects, like ants, can bite if you step on them, and bees can sting. There's a type of bee called a miner (or mining) bee that builds its nest in the ground, like anthills, and they can sting if you step on them. As I got older, I would go deeper into the woods and encounter things I didn't used to before I hit your age. If you're doing that, you might be technically in more danger of hurting your feet.

You obviously know about things like rusty nails, discarded bottle caps and other sharp litter. Since you're an experienced barefoot-walker, I'll bet you've been careful of those your whole life!

In my area, younger kids leave things lying around on the sidewalks, like small toys, or even bigger things like skateboards. I've often had to step out of the way, or over these things, so as not to trip. Shoes can offer protection if you do step on something like that.

This may sound silly, but as I got older, I paid a lot less attention to what was on the ground and more to the people I was walking with, like friends. If that pertains to you, it might worry your Mum. You didn't say that though, so I don't want to put words in her mouth!

If you don't mind, I'd like to share a quick story from my life. When I became a teenager, I was allowed to go alone or with friends into stores, restaurants, and other places where bare feet weren't allowed, so my Mum made a strict rule not to leave home without shoes on. That's just my experience of mine, and doesn't answer your question!

You obviously have an excellent Mum who cares enough to worry about you, and has also taught you to be mature enough to come to a place like this and ask for advice. I hope our suggestions can be helpful to you.

Answer 3

I can't answer about a small town in Canada, so I will answer about my own small town (really just a village center) in northern Virginia.

I don't think there would be any great physical dangers here as long as you check and wash your feet at the end of the day and disinfect, bandage and watch cuts -- and wear sandals if you have a cut.

Of the physical dangers, I think needles are the worst -- if needles are at all common on the streets of your town, your Mom is right. Disinfecting is not enough for a deep needle jab (which includes danger of HIV transmission.) Also, the answer of @Charlie Brumbaugh lists tetanus as a danger. He is right!

Finally, although this may not be fair, how you are perceived if you walk in town barefoot is a danger. You are going to need the high opinion of your fellow townsfolk as you progress towards adulthood, and barefoot people who are no longer children are irritating to many -- here, if not in your small town. It isn't rational: a teenager in flip-flops exposes as much of her feet as a barefoot teenager, and the soles of her feet are no dirtier than the soles of the flip-flops. But it is so: if you were in my town, you will irritate people whose good opinion you really do want. This paragraph adds up to: pick your battles carefully.

Answer 4

The "worms" your mother mentions are likely hookworms, which in some regions can be acquired by walking barefoot. I've heard several sources say that they can be found in the southern US, which is rather distant from Canada and a different climate, so I would suspect - but can't say for sure - that this particular risk wouldn't be found in Canada.

Other answers have weighed in on other risks, so I'll defer to their expertise there.

Answer 5

I think the possibility of a foot injury increases when going barefoot vs. wearing some kind of foot protection, even moccasins would help protect your feet. But it all boils down to the amount of risk you are willing to take as you move through life. I see it as a matter of doing the best you can to take care of yourself so you may live a long and healthy life without too many injuries. Good luck to you in you're walking.

wooo!

Answer 6

Well I live in London so my city as an example would give you heaps of problems walking on foot.

1) Injury: The streets on London are riddled with debris, broken glass and other sharp objects capable of cutting through skin. Not to mention the pain of someone stepping on your toes (let's hope they're not wearing stilettos!)

2) Infection: There is a significant amount of pollution, combined with litter and bodily fluids from the high urban population put you at risk of catching an infection through an exposed foot.

3) Discomfort: Although walking barefoot can be more comfortable than wearing shoes when outside in the woods, London is mainly covered in concrete which puts too much pressure on the heels to walk around barefoot in comfort.

4) Ridicule: Most Londoners aren't accustom to seeing a barefoot walker in the city.... You will be stared at.

Answer 7

I literally stuck myself on a discarded hypodermic needle once as an adult, in Rome, through the side of the shoe when I was wearing light "training" shoes; connversely when I was younger than that (a teenager) and used to walk barefoot, I would watch where my feet are going. I had no ill-effect from that incident, though, luckily.

In Toronto it's normal to see signs on shops saying,

No shirt
No shoes
No service

So, don't assume you can wear bare feet indoors.

Glass you know about already.

Some people prefer to be barefoot when they run (in the city or country), even with UK snow (not nearly as cold as Canada), and argue that it's easier on the joints (e.g. knees) because you refrain from landing as hard as you would with cushioned soles.

Answer 8

I would like to add the snakes and the bees/other biting insects. Stepping on either may be dangerous/unpleasant.

Answer 9

Sometimes it feels so relaxing to start walking barefoot. Doing this for about 30-60 minutes a day will allow you a vast improvement in your energy and overall well being. Walking barefoot improves your posture.

Possible dangers of walking barefoot could be sharp objects like thorns or flint that can cut your feet or you could get frostbite in winters as a result of the blood in your feet freezing or becoming clogged.

Answer 10

Materials which quickly and efficiently heat up can be dangerous on hot summer days. I live in upstate NY, near Canada, and I have been burned by accidentally stepping on the wrong spot. Even if I want to go barefoot, I often bring sandals with me in case I need to go over broken glass or on very hot asphalt.

Speaking of hot asphalt...

There was a barefoot man in Arizona who was stopped by police and put in handcuffs and forced to lie down on the very hot road. The road was hot enough that it was burning off the man's skin (most estimates of the road temperature put it at 150-180 degrees; it was measured the day after and was 150 degrees by then). The man proceeded to scream in pain and try to get off the road, which the police refused, forcing him to stay on the road. The man was screaming for help and repeatedly asked the police to move him off the side of the road which they refused. The man suffered awful burns. At one point I think he even asked if he could put on his shoes, and I think that was denied. All this was caught on camera.

In this case, the man was originally in a car and was made to exit his vehicle, but it could just as easily happen to someone walking on the grass who is forced onto the road. Not living that far south, this would be less of a problem for you or I, but I imagine it would still hurt a lot if we were forced onto a very hot paved road or sidewalk on the hottest summer days.

Here is a link to a news article about the incident I mentioned.

I highly advise that you at least bring sandals with you. I often put them in a bag or tie them over my shoulder. I have forgotten to bring footwear and regretted it. I have hurt myself on hot surfaces, on glass, nails, sharp rocks, and more.

Granted, I once cut my foot bad on a sharp rock while wearing sandals too, and last month I was wearing shoes but had a nail go through the shoe into my foot. So footwear is far from foolproof; still, it is good to have the option and footwear can be the difference between a pleasant day and a painful one.

Summary: barefoot is not "dangerous" in the sense that it should be avoided in many areas, but it does introduce some occasional complications which can be reduced by having footwear available.