Foot Health Care

There are many causes of foot pain and some of them include the following:

Trauma
This occurs as a result of forces outside the body impacting either directly or indirectly the body structures. This impact negatively affects the body and consequently damages the biomechanical alignment of the body.

Acute Sprains, Strains And Fractures
These foot injuries occur spontaneously and suddenly. Strains and sprains may occur as a result of either a combination or a single stress attack on the feet. In other scenarios, the ligaments holding the bones together may be overstretched and tearing the fibers as a result. This leads to severe acute foot sprains.

Repetitive Foot Movements
Foot pain may be caused as a result of injuries to bones and joints. These injuries are caused by repetitive foot actions such as foot twisting. A single blow or a blunt-force injury caused by someone stepping on you can damage the ligaments and joints.

Wrong Choice Of Footwear
This is another contributor to foot pain and injuries. Wearing wrong type of shoes or poorly fitting ones can cause calluses, bruises, blisters as short-term effects. They also act as sources of athlete’s foot. Bunions and corns may occur as long term consequences. Therefore, chose the right type of shoes in order to avoid these problems.

If you notice foot health problems, start addressing them as soon as possible. A podiatrist can treat foot issues and can offer advice on ways to protect your feet against additional complications.

Keep your feet healthy as you age

Clean your feet on a daily base with warm water and soap. Put a moisturizer afterward. Make sure your feet are completely dry before slipping on socks and shoes.

Avoid crossing your legs and put your feet up on a footrest when you sit down. This way you improve your circulation.

Measure your feet each time you buy shoes. Shop for shoes at the end of the day when your feet are at their largest point.

If you have diabetes, talk to your podiatrist about how often you should have your feet checked.

If you follow these steps, your foot health will stay in a good condition!

If you are are over 40, you have probably worn dozens of shoes and probably walked a lot of miles. It is not surprising that decades of walking can leave their mark on your feet. Aging brings many changes to your feet, which can leave them more likely to hurt. Pain in your feet is not normal, so it is not part of being old.

Foot health over years

The shape of your feet may change. The arch under the foot begins to collapse as ligaments become more lax. This can lead to pain in the arch and heel of your feet. You can try buying longer shoes to accommodate your changing feet. This will usually help.

The natural fat padding in your feed that helps cushion your weigth tends to dwindle with age. If this happens it can leave the bones in the balls of your feet with less protection, causing foot pain.

Changing skin. The blood circulation to your feet decreases as you get older. This can also lead to the loss of fat padding. Your skin will also become thinner and drier which can lead to cracks in your feet.

Do not accept age related foot pain.

At the age of 50, you probably walked over 75,000 miles. Take care of your feet and they will serve you well. Many people don’t, so they suffer from ingrown toenails, corns and bunions. Over 20 percent of Americans have more than one foot health problem every single year. Although some problems may be related to how your feet are structured, in these cases you can prevent and treat most problems.

Corns and calluses are areas where the top layer of skin has thickened in response to pressure exerted by bone in a tight fitting shoe. The thickened, hardened area irritates underlying skin and results in localized soreness often associated with walking. Corns are most common on the big toe and fifth toe. Calluses also are found underneath ends of foot bones. Soft corns may also develop between the toes.

Achilles tendonitis is an irritation and inflammation of the tendon that attaches calf muscles to the back of the heel bone.

A bunion is a painful enlargement at the joint at the base of the big toe, causing the skin over the joint to become swollen and tender. A bunion can also occur on the little toe from sitting cross-legged for long periods.

Hammertoes are a toe deformity where the toes have a permanent bend in the middle toe joint, looking like a claw. Hammertoes usually occur with the second toe, often when a bunion slants the big toe toward and under it. Tight shoes can make them more painful and cause a corn to form.

Heel pain is very common and often associated with a growth of bone on the underside, forepart of the heel bone. The condition occurs when a tendon pulls at its attachment to the heel bone. The condition can calcify to form a spur but the pain can be from a variety of causes.

Ingrown toenails are nails whose corners or sides dig painfully into the skin.

Morton’s neuroma is a benign (noncancerous) thickening of the membrane around the nerve between the third and fourth toes and sometimes between the second and third toe or between the fourth and fifth. Tight shoes can squeeze foot bones together, causing pain.

Plantar warts occur on the sole of the foot and may look like calluses. They tend to grow inward because of the weight placed on them when you stand.

Stress fractures are incomplete cracks in bone. They occur during high-impact repetitive activity, such as running when muscles tire and cannot absorb shock. The muscles transfer the overload of stress to the bone, causing it to hurt and eventually crack.

Fungal infections of the foot are common because the warm, moist environment is conducive to fungal growth. Some fungi thrive on toenails, causing nail discoloration, thickening and separation from the bed. Pressure from a thickened nail or the buildup of debris may cause the toe to become painful. Athlete’s foot is also a fungal infection that concentrates in the spaces between toes and on the sole of the foot.

Plantar fasciitis is an inflammation of the fibrous tissue along the bottom of your foot that connects your heel bone to your toes.