05/07/2026    Paul Kesselman, DPM

NY Podiatrist is Advocate of Going Barefoot at Home (Elliot Udell, DPM).

Prior to entering podiatry school in 1977, I had
the habit of walking around in stocking feet while
in my parent’s apartment. This never caused an
issue there. One day I was in stocking feet while
visiting my girlfriends (now wife’s) parents and
attempted to walk down a set of wooden steps to
their basement. Well needless to say, I rapidly
surfed my way down to the bottom of the steps.
Fortunately, no serious injuries occurred other
than to my pride and ego.

A publication from 2012 “Footwear and Falls in the
Home Among Older Individuals…”stated what most of
us already know: “Available evidence indicates
that older people going barefoot, wearing only
socks, or wearing slippers may be at considerably
increased risk for falls in their homes. The data
from several studies are quite consistent, the
magnitude of the increased risk high, and biologic
mechanisms plausible. Therefore, on the basis of
this and other studies, we suggest that advice
about wearing shoes whenever possible be included
in fall prevention programs”.

My own experiences almost 50 years ago, clinical
expertise and this article corroborate going only
with stocking feet increases the risks of falling
to every age group due to a myriad of factors. The
most glaring being that socks often decrease the
coefficient of friction. With less friction there
is an increased risk of slippage, increased
frequency of imbalance resulting in falls,
particularly on glossy surfaces such as wooden or
tiled steps.

That experience long before my podiatry career
began has left my family with a lifetime
practice of wearing “indoor only sneakers” in my
multi story home. Now that I am a senior, and more
learned, the only area of my home that has
carpeting is the steps. This primarily is intended
to reduce the risk of slips of falling for this
senior couple. Live and learn!

Paul Kessleman, DPM, Oceanside, NY

There are no more messages in this thread.