Fortunately, keeping your feet healthy is easy. Use these tips to stay active and your feet pain free.
Keep your feet clean and dry
Healthy feet start with good hygiene. Clean and scrub your feet with soap and water when bathing. Then dry them well. Fungal organisms love moisture, so depriving them of any moisture will make it more difficult for them to thrive.
Examine your feet for problems
Perform a foot self-exam once a week when you take a bath or shower. When you’re drying your feet, take a look at the sole for any scaling and between your toes for areas of peeling. Who could report athlete’s foot? Also look for nail discoloration, which could indicate nail fungus. If you have diabetes, you should inspect your feet daily since diabetes leads to a higher risk of foot sores and infections.
Cut nails properly
Cut nails directly on and avoid cutting too close to the skin or rounding the corners of the nails considerably, which can cause painful and ingrown nails.
Don’t hide “ugly” nails with polish
A discolored, thick, cracked, or crumbling nail could signal nail fungus. Applying nail polish to an infected nail could make the problem worse.
Protect your feet in public spaces
Be sure to wear shower shoes at the gym, lockers, and public pools. These places tend to be breeding grounds for fungi that can lead to infections
Avoid sharing feet
You can get fungal infections from wearing other people’s shoes, as well as socks worn by another person. This includes rentals. Always wear your own foot to help keep your feet healthy.
Head sweaty feet
Your feet have gulps of sweat glands – 250,000 in each foot! Sweating creates the perfect environment for bacteria to set up shop. Wearing socks that prevent dry feet will help your feet stay healthy. “Synthetic fiber socks tend to wick away moisture faster than cotton or wool socks Also avoid wearing excessively tight tights, which trap moisture.
Choose breathable shoes
To help keep your feet dry and healthy, wear leather shoes to allow air to circulate. If you are prone to excessively sweaty feet, look for shoes made with mesh fabrics for maximum breathability.
Wear shoes that fit properly
Shoes that are too tight can cause long-term foot problems. Buy shoes at the end of the day to compensate for swelling in the feet that occurs later in the day, and wear the same type of socks or socks that you wear with the shoes. Choose a wide, rounded shoe with plenty of room for your toes and a wide, stable heel. Avoid pointy shoes, which can crush your toes and cause ingrown toenails and calluses.
Know when to see a doctor
Do not try to treat painful foot problems. “I see many patients who have attempted what I call bathroom surgery, and they’ve made the problem worse. Any pain, redness, swelling, or discoloration that persists should be checked out by a podiatrist annapolis md . Usually, the problem can be cleared up with prescription medicine or a minor in-office procedure. Allowing a podiatrist annapolis md to take a look will help prevent minor issues from becoming major ones.
