| Proper Foot Care - Love Your Feet for Life |
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There is an old wives tale that if your feet hurt your entire body hurts. While it may be part urban myth, many people that have aching feet find themselves completely miserable. Since you stand on your feet, walk, run and virtually use them to transport your body everywhere-you will want your feet to be healthy and happy at all times. Proper foot care is actually quite easy to do, and there are a few tips that everyone can do to ensure that their feet stay happy and healthy. A few reasons why foot pain may occur are disease, trimming toenails too short or wearing shoes that don't fit correctly.
Diseases that can affect the health of the feet include diabetes, nerve disorders, circulatory disorders and arthritis. All these medical conditions can cause blood to not flow correctly to their feet. Tips to assist blood flow to the feet and assist with foot care include putting your feet up above your heart when you are lying down, stretching ankles and feet after long periods of sitting, walking regularly, getting foot massages and taking warm foot soaks or Epsom baths. If you have a disease that causes you to be prone to poor foot circulation, remember to have a doctor or nurse check your feet for sores, lesions and ulcers on a regular basis. One cause for foot pain is caused by cutting toe nails too short. Cutting toenails too short is not a proper foot care technique and can cause ingrown toenails, nail fungus and cuts. Ingrown toenails can be quite painful can cause infections that may need to be treated with antibiotics or even surgery. Nail fungus can be quite painful and unattractive. Topical and oral medication may need to be taken to get rid of the fungus. Finally, cutting a toenail too short may cause lesions, cuts and hangnails. These can hurt and can cause pain while walking or wearing shoes. Sacrificing your feet for fashionable shoes is not only painful, but it may cause lifelong problems. Foot care requires you to make sure that your feet are taken care of and that feet do not have unneeded pressure put upon them. Wearing shoes that are too small will put pressure on the toes, soles and balls of the feet. This pressure can cause bunions, blisters and bone spurs. All of these conditions make walking and standing difficult. Shoes that are too large can cause blisters and arch problems. Buying shoes that fit is one of the easiest ways to take care of your feet and allow them to be happy throughout your life. Contact Peak Physical Therapy today for more information on how physical therapy can help your foot pain! |