Our feet are the most neglected parts of our bodies. We rarely give our feet a second thought unless they cause us pain. We force our feet into shoes that don’t fit, pound them into the pavement and neglect to care for them properly. Not only will this contribute to deformities such as bunions, corns, calluses or hammer toes, it may be adding to problems such as heel pain, back pain, arch pain, knee pain, joint alignment and many others.
Modern life means we are subjected to a load of stresses that previous generations never had to deal with. Our feet often pay a heavy price for those stresses.
In addition, many people suffer from sweaty feet or smelly feet.
Some cases of excessive smelling or sweating of the feet are systemic (throughout the whole body) in nature, such as anemia (low blood count) or hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid). But most cases have a “local to the foot” cause.
For instance, wearing shoes that have synthetic materials, and socks that are of man made fabric can both contribute to the production of excessive perspiration and the bacteria growth that causes this condition. These two conditions set up a condition called athletes foot. Unfortunately, most shoes are made of synthetic materials, especially tennis shoes, so if sweaty/smelly feet is a high concern, you will want to be especially careful when shopping for shoes.
Another common foot problem is dry cracking heels which is a condition of thickening and the cracking of the bottom part of the heels. In most people this is a nuisance and a cosmetic problem. But when the problem persists, especially in diabetic people with impaired vascular sufficiency, this can lead to a serious medical problem.
The most damaging problem for diabetics and their feet are foot ulcers that develop on the bottom of the foot. The reason that the foot ulcers develop is because the diabetic cannot feel the bottom of their foot and minor trauma can result in openings in the skin, which lead to these ulcerations and eventually to serious infections and also loss of limb. The goal of treatment in diabetes with foot ulcers is to relieve the pressure, prevent infection and ultimately restore sensation to the foot so that loss of limb does not ensue. Thus, it is important that a patient with a foot ulcer consult their podiatrist or family doctor.
A few general foot tips include the following:
Wash your feet daily. Rinse off all soap and dry thoroughly, especially between toes.
Keep the skin of your feet smooth by applying a cream or lanolin lotion, especially on the heels. If the skin is cracked, talk to your poidiatrist or doctor about how to treat it.
Trim nails straight across, and not too short. Don’t cut out or dig at corners.
Do not trim, shave, or use over-the-counter medicines to dissolve corns or calluses
Wear clean socks or stockings, changed daily. Don’t wear any that are too short or too tight.
Wear shoes that fit.
Wear shoes made of leather or canvas – not synthetics. Sandals are good. Especially, if you have sweaty or smelly feet.
Switch shoes from day to day.
Use foot powder.
See your podiatrist or doctor if severe problems persist
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