Dear Foot Blogger Chick,
My boyfriend and I are having a disagreement about socks. He thinks that you should just buy the cheapest socks you can find. I think there is a difference between the cheap socks and the more expensive socks. I think that you should pay attention to what kind of socks you buy. What do you think?
The Sock Monkey
Dear Sock Monkey,
Cheap socks, huh? Let’s give this some thought. What do you stand on, run on, and jump on during the course of the day? What do you count on to keep you moving? Right, you count on your feet. Your feet are pretty darn important to your movements throughout the day.
It would make sense that you should take care of your feet. Yes, I would dare say pamper your feet occasionally. There are two big elements in taking care of your feet. One is making sure that they are housed well and the other is making sure they are healthy.
Now we have talked about shoes before. Shoes are very important but so are the socks that you wear under the shoes.
Believe it or not, there is a lot of information about socks. There is so much information that I will be splitting the discussion of socks over two weeks. I know, who would have thought that I could talk about socks for two weeks? (Except my ex who thought I could talk about anything for too long… That is a whole different subject!)
Socks need to fit. They are not a one size fits all item. Yes, you can buy socks that way but the likelihood of them fitting your foot well is not very high. Socks come in sizes. You don’t want your socks to be tight. You want the toes to fit into the toe area and the heel to fit in the heel of the sock. They should not leave an indentation in your leg nor should they leave marks on your toes. The toe seam should be flat and smooth. This is particularly important if you are diabetic. If you are diabetic, you want to make sure your socks are roomy and comfortable.
You should wear socks to match your activity. The socks that you wear to go for a run are not the same socks that you wear to go to work. Each activity has a sock to fit the activity. The socks you wear under your casual shoes are not the same as the socks for work or the socks for running.
You also want your shoes to fit with the socks that you wear for an activity. So when you go shoe shopping, you should make sure to take or wear the socks that you wear for the activity. You don’t want to wear the thick socks that you wear under your boots in the winter to try on dress shoes. You want to wear dress socks so that you know the fit is right. Likewise, you want to wear those thick socks to try on boots so that your new boots will fit comfortably with the socks.
Socks can also provide cushioning. As we age, we lose the padding on the bottom of our foot. When this happens, we need cushioning from our socks and shoes in order to be comfortable. Look for socks that may provide some support or cushioning on the bottom. It will make it easier for you to be on your feet and active during the day.
The fiber content of socks is also very important. Your feet sweat. Yes, even a princess’s feet sweat. There are over 250,000 sweat glands in the average male foot. With that much perspiration in shoes, it is a wonder that we don’t all float away. You need socks that will wick away the moisture so that you are not sitting in a pool of sweat. That is bad for your feet. Before becoming the Foot Blogger Chick, I would have told you that you should wear 100% cotton socks. Now, I know that is not really the best thing for your feet. Unfortunately, cotton will allow all the sweat to be absorbed but then it just sits there. If your shoes don’t breathe well (as many don’t) then your feet hold the moisture. This is the perfect way for bacteria and fungus to take hold. Socks with CoolMax fibers or all wool fibers do much better to help your feet stay healthy despite the sweat.
Next week we will talk about the kinds of socks. No, I don’t mean argyle vs. solid.
Have a good week!
Your Pal,
The Foot Blogger Chick
If you have questions, don’t hesitate to send them to footbloggerchick@gmail.com or leave them in the comment section below. I am not a doctor but I check with one before answering questions.
Trivia Question of the week – Who invented the sock monkey?
Find the answer on our Facebook page – Evanston Podiatric Surgeons – on Friday, May 10. While you’re there, please take a moment to “like” us.
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The very nice doctors at Evanston Podiatric Surgeons have opened a new location! They are very excited to have an office on the “Magnificent Mile” in Chicago. So, if live or work downtown, help is even closer! Stop in and say “Hello and Congrats”. They would love to meet you. They are really that friendly!
Mag Mile Foot and Ankle Institute
333 N. Michigan Avenue Suite 1825
Chicago, IL 60601
312-236-3507