Wore steel toe boots for 12 years on job sites, switched to sneakers after my podiatrist in Akron sat me down
For over a decade I wouldn't step foot on a site without heavy boots. Then about 8 months ago my feet started hurting so bad I couldn't stand up straight by 3pm. My podiatrist in Akron looked at my x-rays and told me my toes were basically jammed together from years of stiff boots, and the constant weight was wrecking my arches. I argued with him for 10 minutes about safety rules. He asked me one question: when did I last drop something on my own foot? Never. So I tried a pair of light sneakers with a composite toe for a small fence job. Night and day. I could actually feel the ladder rungs again, and my knees stopped aching by the end of the day. The old boots are in the garage now and I don't miss them. Has anyone else made this swap and regretted it later, or am I fine sticking with the lighter ones?