Walking is walking, right?
Whether it’s the middle of a Melbourne summer or the depths of a grey July, you’re putting one foot in front of the other the same way you always have.
Except your feet would probably disagree.
The shoes you wear, the surfaces you walk on, and even the temperature itself all shift with the seasons and each of those changes puts a slightly different kind of stress through your feet.
It’s a pattern we see clearly in clinic: certain complaints spike in summer, others creep up through winter, and a lot of it comes down to habits people don’t think twice about until their feet start complaining. Here’s what’s actually going on.
Summer: less shoe, more impact
Summer is when most people swap supportive sneakers for thongs, sandals, and barefoot strolls on the beach – all the things that make warm weather walking feel good, and all the things that quietly remove the support your feet were relying on the rest of the year.
Thongs and flat sandals offer little to no arch support and almost no shock absorption, which means more of the impact from each step travels straight up through your foot rather than being cushioned. Wear them for a daily walk and you’re asking your plantar fascia and arch muscles to do work they’re not used to doing unsupported. This is a big part of why plantar fasciitis flare-ups become so common over summer.
Walking barefoot on sand has its own trade-offs. It’s genuinely good for foot strength in small doses, since the uneven surface works muscles that flat pavement never touches. But longer beach walks, especially on firmer wet sand, can aggravate the same structures that flat thongs do, just through a different mechanism. Heat is the other factor: hot pavement and sand can cause burns faster than people expect, particularly for kids and anyone with reduced sensation in their feet.
Some common summer related foot issues we see include:
- Plantar fasciitis flare-ups from unsupportive footwear
- Blisters and friction injuries from thongs and sandals rubbing in new spots
- Sunburn on the tops of feet – a genuinely common and overlooked one
- Heat-related burns from hot pavement, sand, or pool surrounds
- Increased swelling in feet and ankles during hot weather, especially on long walks
Winter: more shoe, less feel, different ground
Winter brings the opposite problem. You’re back in closed shoes – which is generally a win for foot support but the conditions themselves introduce a different set of risks.
Wet, slippery footpaths increase the chance of slips and rolled ankles, particularly on smooth surfaces like tiles, decking, or painted concrete that get genuinely treacherous in the rain.
Cold feet also affect how you move without you necessarily noticing. Reduced circulation in cold weather means stiffer joints and less sensation in your toes, which can subtly change your gait and how well you can feel the ground beneath you. For people with circulation issues or diabetes, this matters even more, since reduced sensation makes it harder to notice minor injuries before they become bigger problems.
Thicker socks and bulkier winter shoes can also change how a shoe fits compared to how it was tried on. A shoe that felt fine in summer can feel cramped with a heavier sock inside it, leading to rubbing, blisters, or pressure on toes that wasn’t an issue a few months earlier.
The most common foot issues we see in winter include:
- Slips and rolled ankles on wet or icy surfaces
- Reduced sensation affecting balance and gait, especially for older walkers
- Ill-fitting shoes once thicker socks are added into the mix
- Stiffness and reduced flexibility in the foot and ankle from the cold
- Less walking overall, which can lead to deconditioning and a harder transition back into activity come spring
The surfaces change too, not just the shoes
It’s easy to focus on footwear and forget that where you’re walking shifts with the seasons as well.
Summer often means more time on sand, grass, and uneven outdoor terrain, like at the beach, in parks, on bushwalks. Winter tends to push people back onto consistent, hard surfaces: footpaths, treadmills, shopping centre floors.
Both have trade-offs.
Variable terrain builds strength and balance but increases the chance of an awkward step or a rolled ankle. Consistent hard surfaces are predictable, but the repetitive impact on the same structures, walk after walk, can contribute to overuse injuries if your footwear isn’t pulling its weight.
How to adjust through the year
None of this means you need to overhaul how you walk every few months, rather it’s about adjusting a few habits as the seasons shift.
In summer, that means choosing supportive sandals over flat thongs for anything beyond a quick trip to the letterbox, applying sunscreen to the tops of your feet, and being mindful of surface temperature on bare skin.
In winter, it means checking your usual shoes still fit comfortably with warmer socks, taking extra care on wet or tiled surfaces, and not assuming reduced sensation in cold feet means everything’s fine underneath.
If you already manage a foot condition, like plantar fasciitis, shin splints, or you wear orthotics, it’s worth thinking about how your seasonal footwear choices interact with that. An orthotic that’s doing its job perfectly in your winter sneakers won’t help you much sitting in a drawer while you’re wearing thongs all summer.
The bottom line
Your feet experience the seasons just as much as the rest of you does, just through different shoes, different surfaces, and different demands. Most seasonal foot problems come down to small, fixable habits rather than anything serious, but they’re worth paying attention to before they turn into a bigger issue. A few sensible swaps as the weather changes can save you a lot of discomfort, whichever season you’re heading into.
If you’ve noticed your feet act up at a particular time of year, our team at Watsonia Podiatry can help you work out why and what to do about it. Book an appointment online or give us a call on 03 9432 2689.
