I don't like wearing shoes either, but good support for the bones of your feet is very important!! Your feet hit the ground first, and with no padding for shock absorbancy, your hips and knees are subjected to a lot of force which leads to injuries. I recently learned I have high arches which REQUIRE supportive shoes and orthotics. I never knew about this until I started having pain in my feet, in my 40s. I've always gone barefoot because I don't like wearing shoes. Now, finally, I understand the importance of taking care of my feet and that includes protecting them with good shoes. I bet a podiatrist would advise you against exercising barefoot, unless you're doing yoga or something that doesn't require bouncing and landing on your feet. Just my .02.... and wishing I knew this sooner! Jen

We do still use silver- impregnated dressings for some wounds. Aquacel Ag for an example. If your MIL has breaks in her skin, ulcers or wounds, it is reasonable to use a silver dressing, but you can get pre-made, sterile dressing or ointment to use instead of concocting your own. If the skin is intact, then no need to apply silver I believe. The goal now is to keep the skin intact. Cellulitis is not a surface infection, it is in the tissue below the skin surface. Breaks in the skin allow it to get in (and the bacteria can migrate to that area from other parts of the body too). Keep the skin moisturized and supple with a good lubricant (like lanolin) but not sitting in wet; if she has chronic swelling, ask her doctor about good support hose. There are chronic skin changes that occur with peripheral vascular disease, the skin can become chronically red or purple, rough, scaley, even hard and corrugated, and the lower legs swollen. And, yes, these changes can be in the entire lower leg, not just the feet. It can often look like cellulitis when there is actually not an infection (one clue -- if the redness and warmth decrease or go away when the legs are elevated about the heart, it might not be cellulitis). People who have PVD, who have had cellulitis before, or who are obese are prone to have cellulitis in the legs over & over. I am wondering about the pain, Konrad, does she have it always even when her legs seem to be okay? or do her legs always look like cellulitis? PVD will cause chronic pain, and believe it or not walking is recommended, if she can, but it takes a while to have positive effect. A specialist in PVD (not just any cardiologist or vascular surgeon) is a good idea.

I have PF in my left foot. I have tried chiropractic with limited success, massage, which felt good but didn't give lasting relief, two new pairs of shoes with a third on the way, and orthotics. The shoes that are most comfortable are Abeo H2O tennis shoes with a Spenco orthotic inside. The others, which I am still getting used to are Abeo sandals that are similar to Keens. I do find that it is necessary to wear the new shoes a little each day and increase the time daily. I do stretching exercises that my doctor gave me, and I ice several times a day. I also roll my foot over a frozen juice can, or a frozen golf ball (chiropractor's suggestion), or a tennis ball. I also rest my foot on a bag of frozen peas so my heel can get the benefit of the ice too. Before getting out of bed I stretch by pointing toes toward shin, then out front, repeat ten times. I am in extreme pain, and next Wed. I begin physical therapy. I am hoping for relief. Oh, and I just ordered a pair of clogs I found online that had excellent reviews in terms of plantar fasciitis. It is important to NEVER go barefoot. Good luck to all of us as we search for what will work. This is a nasty, painful thing that hangs on and on. Walking is a real challenge.

I definitely need to do the exercises and I will go and get a good pair of running sneakers. Got back into working out more consistently over the past couple of months. I've only been running on the treadmill but and I think I gradually increased my distance. My body will still probably in some shock about the running in general. I always stretch and warm up but I then jump into 20-30 of walking / sprinting intervals. Usually it takes 3 or 4 days in a row for my shins to start bothering me. I've been switching to some biking or elliptical for another week or so then try running again. Last night I did 50 minutes of mainly running on the treadmill. (My endurance is finally building back up so it's not kicking my arse quite as much) and today my shins feel bruised. They actually have a purple look in certain areas. I did cool down and stretch afterwards. I didn't have time to ice. They bothered me when I first started running last night but within a few minutes went away. They didn't bother me again until this morning when my feet hit the floor. I've read how you can "cure" shin splints but so far everyone I know who has them...well, they still have them. They just don't run anymore.