Your Survival Blog
The Agony of De Feet: How to avoid getting tripped up … and what to do if you are
Let’s talk about feet.
Your feet are your best way out of any situation. Think about it: would you want to try to exit a situation on your knees? hand-over-hand? slithering side to side? Nope. So one of the best things you can do for yourself, before any emergency, is to make sure your feet are in good working condition.
Clear your path
Number one rule: don’t trip. (Don’t ask me how I know this. I have several broken toes, a cracked metatarsal, and innumerable sprained ankles to my, er, credit.) Sprained ankles, broken metatarsals, even stubbed toes or bruised shins can seriously slow you down, or even make your exit impossible. This means that in any situation you have control over, you need to keep all passageways as free of debris as possible.
Do you have kids—and do they regularly leave Legos, jacks, Matchbox cars or jump ropes on the living room floor? Are you in the habit of leaving items on your stairs “just for a little while” until you can take them up or down? Are your pet dishes in the kitchen, between the sink and the stove, because you can’t think of a better place? Do you leave laundry baskets in the hallway till family members claim them? Is your foyer a jumble of shoes, rollerblades, bike helmets, jackets, and that tool chest or vacuum you meant to take out to the car? Always leave yourself an unobstructed way from Point A to Point B. Clear your path.
Take care of ‘em beforehand
Number two rule: take care of any existing foot or leg problems. (Over half the respondents in a recent survey reported “foot pain so severe that it hampered their daily function.”) Do you have corns or bunions from too-tight shoes, plantar fasciitis, or diabetic foot ulcers? Any experience with clots, swelling, varicose veins? Do you have a longstanding weak ankle or knee from previous sprains or athletic injuries? Take care of those problems now, before limping away from an emergency costs you precious time.
Shoes are your friends too
Number three rule: in case you do need to escape, have a good set of shoes available for each family member. Remember the pictures of thousands of commuters walking out of Manhattan after 9/11? Would you want to do that in high heels or your shinest, most pinched Oxfords? No? Then keep some walking shoes in your desk at work, along with a good pair of socks if you’re not wearing them already.)
At home, if you wake up in the dark with the roof shaking, you’ll need something you can put on in a hurry and not hurt yourself in on the way out. (Tie-on sneakers or running shoes, wonderful as they are, have drawbacks.) In many major home emergencies—tornado or windstorm, earthquake, fire—cut glass is a serious hazard. Make sure the soles of your shoes (or slippers, if that’s all you’ll have) are thick and sturdy!
But I’m already not walking!
Well, you say, that’s all very nice if you’re fit, or can cure your foot problems. But I have a permanently arthritic ankle and use a cane. Or I have an artificial leg. Or I use a wheelchair because walking isn’t feasible for me at all. What about me?
If you usually find it easiest to maneuver with a cane or a walker or a pair of crutches, have that near you at all times. Even if you’re having a good foot day, keep one with you if you go down the hall at work. Leave your mobility aid of choice by your bed at night.
If you need a chair some or all of the time, things are trickier. You may need a buddy or buddies in an emergency; if you live or work with others, start talking with them now about your exit plans from home and office. We’ll cover the needs of the disabled in a separate column.
Good luck at school! I hope the kids are decently behaved and the day goes quickly 350-001.
As for shoes, may I be the first to recommend Keens as well? They’re just sinfully comfortable 350-018. My mother is a teacher, and a couple years ago, I hit her over the head, dragged her to REI, and forced her to buy three pairs of Keens, and a week’s worth of cushioned Smartwool socks 350-029. She stopped complaining about sore hips and knees within a week, and still wears those shoes every day.
Posted by Allen on 01/01 at 01:09 AMThe Online Quran Teaching is the final divine revelation (message of Allah).
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