Trench foot
Trench foot can be prevented by keeping the feet clean, warm, and dry. It was also discovered in World War I that a key preventive measure was regular foot inspections; soldiers would be paired and each made responsible for the feet of the other, and they would generally apply whale oil to prevent trench foot. If left to their own devices, soldiers might neglect to take off their own boots and socks to dry their feet each day, but if it were the responsibility of another, this became less likely. Later on in the war, instances of trench foot began to decrease, probably as a result of the introduction of the aforementioned measures; of wooden duckboards to cover the muddy, wet, cold ground of the trenches; and of the increased practice of troop rotation, which kept soldiers from prolonged time at the front.
Foot arch stretcher
The base is generally one to two feet long and is made of a rigid material. In general, either the full base or parts of the base are covered with foam or another soft material and overlaid with fabric. This manufacturing process is used to both hold the shape of the foot arch stretcher and to provide comfort for the areas of the leg and foot that will come into contact with the base while in use. Sometimes, additional padding is added to the area of the foot stretcher base that will come into contact with the heel of the foot. This additional padding is added for comfort because the heel area usually receives the most leverage and accompanying pressure during the stretching process.