When feet hurt, people tend to become less mobile. Less mobility is associated with a host of other health problems. Our feet are important – they take us everywhere we go. The importance of good foot health, and pain-free feet cannot be ignored. It is a commonly-believed untruth that we should expect our feet to hurt more with every passing year. In reality, it’s usually poor habits and poor foot health that lead to foot pain.
Healthy feet help us to:
- Walk around freely
- Balance properly, preventing falls
- Keep active with our favorite activities or sports
Swim- Cycle
- Get up from and down into the sitting position
- Get in and out of the tub or shower
- Get in and out of bed
- Almost every movement that involves the lower half of the body
Strategies to treat your feet to good health
- Wear properly fitting shoes
- Alternate the shoes you wear
- Keep feet dry and free from athlete’s foot
- Keep the skin on the feet properly moisturized
- Keep nails trim and neat
- Avoid ingrown toenails by cutting straight and not too short
- Keep dead skin filed off so large dry callouses don’t form
- Don’t go overboard on foot soaking. Skin will dry out. Dry feet and moisturize when done.
- Avoid crossing your legs; it cuts off blood flow
- Move feet or put them up when sitting down to reduce the chance of swelling
Shop for new shoes in the afternoon when your feet are the largest size. Feet tend to swell a little as the day goes by and you have been walking around more. In the early morning when you first get up, your feet will be the smallest size.
Whenever any problems arise with the foot or toenails, see a specialist to get it looked at and taken care of right away. Any potential problems are always smaller when caught at the beginning.
Some illnesses can affect foot health and circulation, such as diabetes. Following your doctor’s recommendations for foot health and taking care of foot problems promptly is imperative.
As a caregiver, you are on your feet a lot. Your feet do a lot of work for you every day, and they certainly deserve to be pampered and kept in good health! Tired, painful feet are no fun to walk around on all day. It doesn’t take a lot of time or energy to do a minimum of foot health every day, and it sure is worth it. You deserve to have feet that feel good!
About Joan Cisneros LPN
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