Lockdown - hell on most aspects of your life but a holiday for your feet.

If you're the sort of person who loves letting their toes breath or the feeling of carpet underfoot, you've probably been enjoying spending so much time at home recently. We haven't touched any form of footwear apart from our runners for weeks now and our tootsies have never been happier. Something we weren't aware of, though, is just how tough going without socks and shoes around the house can actually be on our feet. According to podiatrist Dr. Jacqueline Sutera, we could be doing long-term damage.

"When walking barefoot on hardwood, cement, stone, or ceramic tile, there is really nothing to absorb the shock between you and the ground," she told Bustle. "Over time, this behavior can deteriorate your fat pad, which serves as the foot’s natural cushion. Without this fat, you are literally walking or running on skin and bone. Once this fat pad degenerates, it’s gone forever."

On top of this, going barefoot can eventually lead to the natural arch in our feet collapsing and even change the distribution of pressure around the foot, leading to foot pain and potentially even knee and back pain down the road. So what's the fix? Limit the amount of time you spend barefoot and, if you really can't bear shoes, invest in a pair of slippers with arch support. They won't be as cute as your fluffy Penneys ones but with no end to the lockdown in sight, you might end up very grateful for them.