Cold-weather warfare
Trench foot is a medical condition caused by prolonged exposure of the feet to damp, unsanitary, and cold conditions at temperatures as warm as for as few as 13 hours. Exposure to these environmental conditions causes deterioration and destruction of the capillaries and leads to morbidity of the surrounding flesh. Affected feet may become numb, affected by erythema (turning red) or cyanosis (turning blue) as a result of poor blood supply, and may begin emanating a decaying odour if the early stages of necrosis (tissue death) set in. As the condition worsens, feet may also begin to swell. Advanced trench foot often involves blisters and open sores, which lead to fungal infections. If left untreated, trench foot usually results in gangrene, which may require amputation. If trench foot is treated properly, complete recovery is normal, though it is marked by severe short-term pain when feeling returns. Trench foot affected tens of thousands of soldiers engaged in trench warfare in World War I. Keeping feet warm and dry, or at least changing into warm and dry replacement footgear, is the best way to avoid trench foot.
Foot whipping
In the Middle Eastern "falaka" method, the victim is forced to lie on his or her back while the feet are elevated and bound. The beating is generally performed with a rigid wooden stick, a club or a truncheon. The term "falaka" describes the wooden plank used to tie up the ankles; however, different items are used for this purpose. The essentially different German method, which was practiced until the end of the Third Reich era, involved strapping the barefoot, prone prisoner's upper body and both ankles to a wooden bench or a plank. The feet were then forced into a pointed posture (plantar flexion) with the bare undersides facing upward. The prisoner's hands were tied behind the back, usually using a cord or a leather strap. The person was thus rendered largely immobile and, in particular, unable to move their feet from the forced position. The typically occurring contortions of the body during the execution of torture were largely halted, as well. This way, the punishment could be inflicted with a certain degree of accuracy to not cause unwanted lesions or other severe injury. It was typically executed with a slightly flexible beating accessory such as a cane or a switch. More infrequently, short whips or leather straps were also used. This form of punishment was mainly employed in women's penal institutions and labor camps where prisoners were often kept barefoot.