Podiatrist Reveals Foot Care Tips For Maintaining Healthy Feet

1. Gentle Cleaning Ritual

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Pamper your feet with a soothing daily wash in lukewarm water. Remember, extreme temperatures can harm your skin, especially if you have diabetes. Use a soft cloth and mild soap, rinse thoroughly, and dry your feet completely before slipping them into clean, dry socks.

2. Perform a Daily Visual Check-Up

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Take a closer look at your precious feet on a regular basis. Look out for blisters, redness, cuts, or cracked skin. If you can't see the bottom clearly, grab a magnifying hand mirror. If any issues arise, don't hesitate to reach out to a healthcare professional. And if you have diabetes, make it a daily habit.

3. Trim Your Nails with Care

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Keep your nails neatly trimmed, but never too short. Cutting them excessively can lead to ingrown nails and potential infections. Opt for a straight cut and file the edges gently. Seek professional help if needed, and remind your nail salon to handle your nails and skin delicately.

4. Choose Only Shoes That Embrace You

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Choose well-fitted shoes that make your feet feel loved. Ill-fitting shoes can cause painful blisters and other problems. Prioritize comfort and proper support for your feet and ankles. If in doubt, consult a physical therapist who can guide you toward the right footwear or recommend orthotics for added support.

5. Have a Nightly Moisturizing Routine

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Treat your feet to some tender care by moisturizing them each night. The heat and open shoes of warmer weather can deplete moisture, leading to cracks and fissures. Regular use of lotions or creams helps replenish moisture and guards against itching or cracking. Just remember to avoid applying lotion between your toes.

6. Keep Your Blood Sugar in Check

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Maintain stable blood sugar levels to protect your precious feet from complications. Uncontrolled diabetes can lead to nerve damage and impair healing capabilities, posing a risk to foot health. Take charge of your blood sugar and prioritize your foot's well-being.

7. Never Ignore Foot Pain Signals

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Pay attention to any foot pain that arises. If it persists or worsens, don't hesitate to seek professional advice from a trusted podiatrist. Ignoring foot pain can potentially lead to more severe problems and hinder your overall mobility and comfort.

8. Walk It Out

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Incorporate walking into your daily routine to benefit your overall well-being and keep your feet in excellent shape. However, don't forget to equip yourself with proper athletic shoes that provide adequate support and cushioning. Enjoy the benefits of walking while prioritizing foot comfort and protection.

9. Alternate Your Shoes Each Day

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Promote excellent foot hygiene by implementing a simple practice: Alternate your shoes daily. Doing so allows your shoes to breathe and effectively manage moisture accumulation. Since your feet possess sweat glands, providing sufficient time for your shoes to dry completely is crucial. This preventive measure helps combat unpleasant odors and fosters a healthier and more comfortable environment for your feet.

10. No Barefoot Ventures

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Embrace the importance of foot protection by avoiding walking barefoot whenever possible. By wearing shoes, you shield your feet from potential injuries and reduce the risk of infection. Prioritize safety and ensure the well-being of your feet by opting for appropriate footwear.

11. Sun Shield for Sandals

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When wearing sandals, extend sun protection to your feet as well. They deserve to be protected, so safeguard your delicate skin from the sun's harmful rays by applying SPF sunscreen. Show your feet the care they deserve and prevent sunburn or long-term damage.

12. Get Rid of Feet Odors

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Combat unwanted foot odors caused by excessive sweating with proper foot hygiene practices. Keep your feet clean and dry, paying attention to drying the spaces between your toes. Maintaining good foot hygiene can banish unpleasant odors and promote overall foot health.

13. Have a Revitalizing Foot Soak in the Evening

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Indulge in a revitalizing foot soak at the end of a tiring day. Immerse your feet in warm water with added Epsom salt or essential oils to cleanse away dirt, germs, and dead skin cells. This soothing ritual reduces foot odor and swelling and helps your entire body unwind, promoting relaxation and rejuvenation.

14. Take Care of Foot Hyperpigmentation

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As mentioned already, you should not neglect your feet when it comes to sun protection. Address any tanning issues using specialized foot packs or creams to lighten hyperpigmentation. Consistency is crucial to achieving optimal results, so make it a habit to address any tanning concerns as soon as they occur.

15. Daily TLC with Foot Massage

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Devote 5-10 minutes each day to treating your feet with a gentle massage. This simple yet effective practice improves blood circulation, alleviates pain and inflammation, and enhances overall foot comfort. Experience the profound calming effect it has on your entire body, promoting restful sleep and revitalization.

16. Try Paraffin Wax Therapy

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Pamper your tired feet with the soothing benefits of paraffin wax therapy. Immerse your feet in a warm mixture of paraffin wax and mineral oil, allowing the gentle heat to stimulate blood flow, reduce inflammation, alleviate pain and muscle stiffness, and nourish dry skin. Embrace this luxurious treatment for ultimate foot relaxation and rejuvenation.

17. Rejuvenate with Chemical Peels

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Unveil healthier feet with the help of chemical peels. These specialized treatments exfoliate the outer layer of dead skin, unveiling smoother, more vibrant skin underneath. Experience the gradual improvement in texture, color, and overall appearance, revitalizing the vitality of your feet and promoting self-confidence.

18. Feet as Health Indicators

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Pay attention to your feet, as they can provide valuable insights into your overall health. Discoloration in the toes or toenails could signal cardiovascular issues, while tingling or painful toes may be a sign of diabetes. Curved toenails can occur naturally or indicate underlying lung disease.

19. Replace Your Shoes Every 300-500 Miles

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Keep a close eye on the mileage of your sneakers and replace them once they reach the 300-500 mile mark. Wearing worn-out sneakers compromises the proper support your feet need, increasing the risk of stress fractures, shin splints, and knee problems. Prioritize your foot health, and don't underestimate the importance of fresh footwear.

20. Nail Salon Hygiene Matters

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Ensure your nail salon maintains high hygiene standards. Dirty workstations, uncertified staff, unlined foot tubs, and non-sterilized tools are red flags. Poor hygiene can lead to ingrown toenails, fungal infections, and warts. Choose a salon that prioritizes cleanliness.

21. Always Choose Shoes for the Occasion

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Different activities call for different footwear. When it comes to walking, opt for flat, rigid, and slightly heavy shoes that provide the necessary stability. For running, choose flexible, contoured, and lightweight shoes that offer the right balance of support and flexibility. Remember to consider your own physique and exercise habits to find the perfect fit.

22. Prepare Your Feet for Boot Season

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Adapt your foot-care routine to accommodate the rigidity of boots. Avoid uncomfortable issues like blisters, cracked heels, bunions, or pinched nerves by stretching tight boots with the help of a shoe stretching spray and tool. Prioritize the comfort of your feet and take preventive measures to ensure an enjoyable boot-wearing experience.

23. Always Go for the Perfect Shoe Fit

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Ensure a comfortable shoe fit by following a few guidelines. The widest part of your foot should fit comfortably in the shoe, with enough depth to avoid toe rubbing. Leave about a half-inch of space between your longest toe and the front of the shoe. Walk around to ensure there's no rubbing or slipping.

24. Wear Your Heels Sparingly

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High heels may make you feel powerful, but they can negatively impact your foot health. They alter the natural position of your foot and can lead to chronic knee, hip, or back pain. If you can't give them up, choose sensible heels and wear them sparingly.

25. Maintain a Healthy Weight

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Excess weight puts additional strain on your feet and increases the risk of foot problems like arthritis and pain. It can also lead to conditions like diabetes or poor blood circulation, impacting foot health. Achieve a healthy weight for overall well-being, including your feet.

26. Stretch Your Feet

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Don't neglect stretching your feet to treat and prevent foot pain. Include stretches for the tops and bottoms of your feet, as well as the Achilles' tendon. Engage in toe yoga exercises and stretches to elongate and relax the muscles, preventing spasms and overuse injuries.

27. Rest Your Feet Every Day

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Treat your feet to some well-deserved rest every day. Elevate your feet, indulge in a soothing massage using your fingers, or utilize a golf ball, tennis ball, or rolling pin to massage the soles. Allow your feet to relax and rejuvenate, allowing them to recover from the day's demands. Your feet will thank you for the extra care and attention.

28. Avoid, JUST AVOID Tight Shoes

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Steer clear of tight shoes that can cause long-term foot problems. Shop for shoes at the end of the day to accommodate foot swelling. Choose broad, rounded shoes with ample room for your toes and a stable heel. Avoid pointy shoes that can lead to ingrown toenails and calluses.

29. Mind Your Diet

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Your diet impacts your entire body, including your feet. Incorporate lean meat, fish, fruits, and leafy green vegetables while limiting salt, sugar, and trans fats. A balanced diet supports foot health and overall well-being. Watch what you eat to keep your feet happy.

30. Don't be Afraid of Seeking Professional Help

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Don't attempt self-treatment for painful foot issues. Consult a podiatrist if you experience persistent pain, redness, swelling, or discoloration. A podiatrist can provide prescription medicine or perform minor in-office procedures to address the problem effectively.

31. Signs Of Common Foot Problems And How To Deal With Them! Athlete's Foot

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Athlete's foot is a very common foot issue, but a lot of people might not realize they have it and just think their feet are annoyingly itchy lately! The main symptoms of athlete's foot will be a lot of itching and stinging between the middle of the toes, as well as a burning sensation when it gets really bad. Athlete's foot develops from a fungus which is very contagious, which is why athlete's foot is so common with people walking around places like public pools without any shoes on. You can also get bad blisters between your toes, and cracked skin. Your best bit is to get a doctor's prescription for treatment.

32. Bunions

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Bunions can be recognized as being large bumps on your foot, and usually happen at the side of your big toe. As well as the bump itself being cumbersome and painful, it can make the big toe then bend into the other toes and makes it difficult to walk comfortably and without pain. You could then even get irritation on your second toe from the big toe pushing into it so much! Bunions can easily occurs from walking in shoes that don't fit properly, or standing up for too long. For treatment, you can start making sure all shoes fit comfortably, or speak to your doctor.

33. Blisters

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Blisters are definitely something most people have experienced at least once, usually from walking or running too far and having shoes rub. But they can be a very painful problem if you get blisters all the time. Blisters are very noticeable as large bubbles of skin, usually white, which you'll probably very much want to pop! They're filled with fluid and they'll be painful when you catch them on something. Sweaty feet could also make blisters more likely. For treatment, you don't need to worry much, as blisters will usually go away on their own - and you can pop the bubble if it's annoying you! You should always make sure you then apply antiseptic and cover with a bandage if you do this.

34. Corns

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Corns are usually identifiable by small circles on your feet of very thick skin, which will also be a different color to your normal skin tone (normally showing as white). Corns are often your body's way of protecting your feet by thickening the skin to try and prevent blisters, but that doesn't mean corns themselves aren't annoying or eventually painful. You can use corn plasters to help prevent this particular foot issue and ease up the pressure, as well as making sure you're wearing the right shoes. You can also speak to your doctor for long-term solutions.

35. Claw Toe

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Claw toe doesn't sound too nice, and that's because it's usually not the best! It can also be known as claw foot. It's known for making the first toe joint point upwards, while the second toe joint will point downwards. You can have claw toe/foot all your life from birth, or it can develop on its own at any time. With claw toe, it might be more the way it looks rather than actually being painful, but it can also be a sign of other issues, like arthritis. You can try toe exercises, splints and proper shoes, as well as speaking to your doctor to diagnose the cause.

36. Plantar Fasciitis

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This condition is identified through pain felt either on the bottom of your heel, or the very center of your foot. You usually won't be able to see anything on your foot to show you have this, it's more about the pain you can feel. This condition will usually happen because of the plantar fascia ligament being strained, which can usually happen if you don't have the right arch support in footwear or you're a runner! At home remedies can include applying ice packs, pain killers and the right foot stretches, but you can also speak to your doctor for ways of easing really bad bouts of it!

37. Heel Spur

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This might sound like something cool a cowboy might have, but it's actually a painful foot condition. Heel spur can manifest in symptoms of a bony part sticking out of the front of the heel, pain or general inflammation. This condition can occur because of a calcium deposit which develops in the place between your foot's heel and the arch. It can be hard to know this is what's causing your foot pain without a doctor's official diagnosis. So the best treatments for this are to see your doctor, and to make sure you're wearing the right shoes first to rule that out. Cold compresses can also help.

38. Mallet/Hammer Toe

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Mallet toe, or hammer toe, can be recognized by a toe that looks very curved - usually the little toe - with a shape that curves down rather than out. It can happen often just through simple genetics, or you can make it more likely if your shoes aren't fitting right! Other toe issues like injuries or bunions can also make it more likely. You might also have difficulty in wiggling the toe in question. You can use foot cushions and pads to help with the problem, switch up your shoe game to make sure you're wearing the right ones, and speak to a doctor.

39. Ingrown Toenail

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Ah, the pesky ingrown toenail! More or less annoying than an ingrown hair? Ingrown toenails will likely happen at the sides of your big toe, and you can usually see or feel the nail growing into the surrounding skin rather than where it's supposed to be. It will likely happen to people who don't cut their toenails often enough, have naturally curved toenails, or have shoes which push into the sides of your toes too much. Keeping an eye on this will be important for treatment, because mild cases can be sorted at home by keeping your toenail cut - but more serious cases will become infected and need a doctor's attention.

40. Gout

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Gout is an extremely painful foot condition, and you'll likely find it affecting the big toe most of all. It comes from having too much of an acid called uric acid in your body, and it then affects this specific area, making it swollen and inflamed. The pain can be so bad it feels like burning. You can have gout that comes and goes, or you can suffer from chronic gout that gets worse over time. It's very common with older men hitting the 50 mark, as well as women after menopause age. You should always speak to your doctor about gout treatment and management.

41. Plantar Wart

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Warts can be very common when it comes to your feet, and a plantar wart in particular is a wart that's found on the bottom of your foot. It's called by a particular virus which is very likely to be caught from the floors of public swimming pools, gyms or locker rooms - basically anywhere you can expect moisture and bare feet! They can be very painful due to the fact you have to walk on them, but they might go away on their own with the proper care, or you can use over the counter treatment for them which you can apply until the wart goes away.

42. Fungal Nail Infection

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Nobody wants to deal with any kind of nail infection! This type of fungal infection can be noticed through marks on your toenails, such as dark streaks, a scaly looking appearance, yellow spots or a flaky toenail. This is also why it's a good idea to take your toenail varnish off every once in a while to make sure you're checking your nails' appearance! The fungus can be caused by other medical conditions that may have fungal nail infection as side effects, or if you've been for a pedicure with bad sanitary conditions, this can also be a factor.

43. Stone Bruise

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While a stone bruise might sound like something you get from standing on a stone, the name - and condition - actually comes from the fact that it feels very much like you're standing on a stone in your shoe every time you walk, based on the area of pain. Stone bruise is also known as metatarsalgia, and it can most often be found on the ball of your foot. High-impact exercise can be a common cause, as can shoes that don't fit properly and are putting pressure on that area. You can find relief through lots of foot rest, pain killers and changing any ill-fitting shoes.

44. Flat Foot

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The arch of your foot is really important for standing comfortably and without pain, which is also why arch support in shoes is such a big deal! Some people have naturally flatter feet than others, of course - everybody's feet are different! If you're born with naturally flat feet then you can seek treatment if it's causing you pain or issues in adulthood. It's more likely to be an issue if you're standing still for long periods of time, or exercising. Your doctor might prescribe certain pain relievers or advice on lifestyle changes.

45. Morton's Neuroma

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This condition doesn't always reveal itself through pain, so you can actually have it without feeling any pain at all in your foot. In some cases, though, it will be painful. Morton's neuroma is when you have tissue which is especially thick around a particular nerve in your foot - the nerve between the arch and your toes, near the ball of the foot. It can often develop in athletes who make repetitive movements a lot, or by heels that don't fit right/are uncomfortable to wear for long periods of time, like high heels. You can find relief by switching to more comfortable shoes and resting your feet when you can!

46. Sesamoiditis

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This foot condition is actually caused through inflammation of the bone, rather than your skin, tissue or nerves. The inflammation in the bone then causes pain in your feet, or foot. The name sesamoiditis comes in reference to the sesamoids, which are the bones in your foot. These bones connect to tendons to make sure that you're able to bend your big toe. There are certain exercises or activities that can cause these bones to be inflamed, including ballet or sports which result in certain pressure on the feet. You can try compression bandages for this issue, as well as heat and ice.

47. Diabetic Neuropathy

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You might not have known this, but a person with diabetes also has risks of their feet becoming severely affected. Some people have to have their feet amputated after the condition can damage the nerves there. This is due to the unregulated high blood sugar that comes with diabetes, which can then result in nerve damage. Diabetic neuropathy refers to this sort of damage developing on your feet. The result can be feet which lose feeling, are difficult to walk on and may feel like pins and needles. Your doctor is the only option for treatment with this one, as it should be part of your diabetes monitoring.

48. Why Are Foot Problems So Common?

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We definitely take our feet for granted, and they work so hard for us, day in and day out! This is why so many problems can occur on your feet due to lifestyle choices and activity. Certain diets can affect your feet, certain exercises can cause pain or injuries, walking in certain places barefoot can put you at risk of a variety of issues, and in general, they're going to get very tired in carrying you around all day! Even without specific issues like bunions or blisters, you're bound to get aching feet and foot pain if you walk around a lot, are on your feet all day or do particular exercise.

49. When To See A Doctor

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Seeing a doctor is crucial in some extreme forms of foot problems, like if you have existing health conditions, or if the pain in your foot is seriously impacting your day to day life, like making it so you can't work. You should also see a doctor for obvious signs of things like infection or swelling. For the most part, things like blisters and warts can be common and may not need immediate doctor's attention - the best thing to do in this situation is keep an eye on them, and if they get worse rather than better, it's time to make that appointment!

50. Taking Care Of Your Feet At Home

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The best thing you can do your feet at home, no matter what your job or lifestyle is, is to always invest in shoes that fit properly. We know it's trendy to have fashionable shoes, but at the end of the day, know the limits of your feet and make sure they're never too squished or uncomfortable! Also make sure you have good arch support for a comfortable walk, and a wide-fit shoe if you have wide feet. Make sure to rest your feet when you need to, attend to injuries or issues as quickly as possible and make regular checks of your feet and nails so you notice things more quickly!