Your feet endure a lot each and every day. They support you and your weight as you go about your daily activities. If you add any strenuous physical activity to your day, your feet endure that added stress as well. The feet are also susceptible to injury from anything that they may step on or bump into. For more help foot health tips and information about bunion surgery in Los Angeles, schedule an appointment with Bunion Surgery Los Angeles.
However, despite what your feet go through, they can often times be the most neglected body part. If you think about all the things you do for other body parts—face, teeth, hands, fingernails, and even hair—your feet are probably not taken care of nearly as often or as well.
It’s important that you keep your feet healthy. If you have ever had problems with your feet, you already know how painful, uncomfortable, and even inconvenient those health conditions of the feet can be.
Below are some helpful tips for keeping your feet healthy:
Make Sure Your Feet are Clean and Dry
One of the most common foot conditions is Athlete’s Foot and other types of infections. These conditions can develop when your feet are dirty and sweaty. The bacteria begins to cause fungal infections that can become quite painful and irritable. By practicing healthy hygiene habits each day, making sure you wash your feet in soapy warm water and being sure to thoroughly dry them off. (ADDED TIP: Be sure to dry in between each toe, which is where moisture can get trapped and fungal infections often start!)
Protect Your Feet with Proper Footwear
If you are in sunny California, flip flops are an everyday option for footwear pretty much all year long. However, flip flops rarely provide your foot with any arch support or cushion. This means that your feet take on a great deal of stress supporting your weight and absorbing the shock from each and every step you take. Further, flip flops and other sandals mean that your foot is bare and exposed. The result is that your foot is at risk of being cut or injured should you drop something on your foot. Flip flops and sandals are appropriate footwear for the beach, gym locker room and shower, or the pool, but outside of that, try to find closed-toed shoes that protect your feet and provide you the appropriate support.
Take Care of Your Toenails
Toenails are another area of the foot that is at risk of fungal or bacterial infections. Whether you get regular pedicures or you choose to do it yourself, be sure to keep toenails trimmed to an appropriate length. It’s important to cut your toenails straight across to avoid any ingrown toenails. You also don’t want to cut them too close to the cuticle and risk an open wound on your foot. If you do see your nails start to change color (typically yellow or green in color), be sure to seek a doctor for appropriate medication and keep it clean and free of any nail polish while it heals.
Wear Shoes That Fit Properly
It may be tempting at times to wear shoes that might not fit properly because perhaps the store doesn’t have your size. However, squeezing your foot into a shoe that is too tight can lead to a number of problems, including ingrown toenails, bunions, and hammer toes. If anything, you should consider shoes that are a half-size larger than your foot measurement. This will help compensate for any foot swelling that occurs later on in the day. If you haven’t done so in a while, get your feet measured at a shoe store and ask for recommendations based on your foot size and shape. If you do a lot of running or physical activity, there are a number of stores that can assess your foot shape and running style. From there, they can make recommendations on the appropriate shoe and arch support that’s right for you.
Do Not Share Footwear with Others
Just like you wouldn’t share a toothbrush, you shouldn’t share footwear with others. From sweat, fungus, and other bacteria, you never know what may be lurking on the inside of someone’s shoes. Even with socks, you still are exposing your feet to potential infection.
Never Wear Shoes Without Socks
As noted in Tip #1, keeping your feet dry is an important part to keeping them healthy. Even though you may not realize it, your feet sweat. In fact, there are over 250,000 sweat glands in each foot! Socks are helpful for keeping your feet dry, particularly those made of synthetic fibers.
Moisturize Your Feet at Night
Like other parts of your body, you want to keep the skin on your feet moisturized. This might seem counter-productive to the previous tip to keeping them dry, but that’s more about keeping them free from sweat and excess moisture when washing. It is still important that you keep the skin on your feet moisturized, because when skin becomes overly dry, it begins to crack and those open wounds put you at risk of infection. The key to keeping your feet moisturized is to apply lotion to them at night, before bed. This is when your feet will be at rest and your feet can recover from the day, while absorbing the moisture from the lotion.
Maintain a Healthy Weight
Your feet bear the weight of your body. Therefore, if you at an unhealthy weight, you are putting a great deal of added pressure on your feet (as well as other parts of your body). Speak with your doctor about what is a healthy weight for you and how you can accomplish reaching a healthy weight so that you can not only improve your overall health, but also keep your feet healthy!
See a Doctor Right Away if you Experience any Problems
Last, but certainly not least, it is important that you seek medical attention when you notice there may be a problem with your feet. Often times, you might overlook or not even realize that you are having problems with your feet. You should frequently (ideally, daily) examine your feet and see if you notice any changes in the condition of your toenails, the bottoms of your feet, your heel and other bones, and even your ankles. Look for discoloration, open wounds, calluses, warts, bunions, peeling skin, moles, and whatever else that might be different. By recognizing any issues, you can address them early on and get them properly treated.
Bunion Surgery in Los Angeles
If you or someone you know have developed a bunion on your foot, you can speak with our bunion experts at Bunion Surgery Los Angeles to discuss appropriate treatment. Our experienced professionals at Bunion Surgery Los Angeles are committed to providing the best care for bunion removal. Contact us today at (310) 247-9255 or contact us online.
