WHEN it comes to healthy habits, feet can often fall by the wayside.
But without the 26 bones, 33 joints, and more than 100 tendons and ligaments that make up your feet, a healthy active lifestyle wouldn’t be possible.
Consultant Podiatric Surgeon Kaser Nazir shared the most common foot mistakes[/caption]
Feet serve as a foundation for the rest of your body, often indicating health problems in other areas.
One person that knows this all too well is Kaser Nazir of Jorja Healthcare Group, a Consultant Podiatric Surgeon with more than 20 years NHS experience.
A stickler for healthy foot habits, Kaser is aware if you take a wrong step you could be left with a number of painful health implications.
He shared six common mistakes people make that could leave long-lasting effects.
1. Wearing uncomfortable shoes
Aside from the initial pain and discomfort caused by wearing uncomfortable shoes, there are a number of other health implications which it can aggravate or cause, said Kaser.
He explained: “Squashing your feet together in ill-fitting shoes can add pressure to the joint of the big toe, causing it to get larger and aggravating bunions.
“It can also impact the other toes causing hammertoes to develop.
“Pressure on other areas of the feet can also cause calluses and make you more prone to ingrown toenails.
“Heel pain is also a common foot complaint that lots of people who wear ill-fitting and uncomfortable shoes experience.”
2. Repetitive stress
Long distance running offers a wide range of health benefits including improved cardiovascular health, increased muscular endurance, weight management, enhanced mental well-being, reduced risk of chronic diseases like diabetes and certain cancers, stronger bones, and a boosted immune system.
But it’s also an example of repetitive stress, which can be detrimental to foot health, said Kaser.
He advised: “Repetitive stress can lead to stress fractures in the feet, as well as conditions such as plantar fasciitis and tendonitis.”
Plantar fasciitis is a painful inflammation of the plantar fascia, a thick band of tissue that runs along the bottom of the foot connecting the heel bone to the toes.
Tendonitis is when a tendon swells (becomes inflamed) after an injury.
3. Wearing high heels
This can be bad for feet for a number of reasons, warned Kaser.
He said: “The added pressure on the feet when wearing high heels can make the foot more prone to conditions such as bunions and hammertoe, as well as causing inflammation and pain in the area which is known as metatarsalgia.
“It can also cause the joint capsules at the ball of the foot to become damaged and inflamed, as well as surrounding ligaments.
“This is known as capsulitis.”
4. Obesity
Being obese is linked to increased risk of several serious health conditions, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, certain cancers, high blood pressure, breathing problems (sleep apnea), gallbladder disease, and mental health issues like depression.
And it can also impact your feet.
Kaser said: “Putting additional weight on the feet can not only make them more prone to pain and discomfort, but also increased risk of injury.”
5. Poor diet
Like obesity, a poor diet can lead to a myriad of health problems – including those that affect the feet.
An unhealthy diet that’s high in refined carbs, sugar, and saturated fat can lead to high blood sugar levels, and this in turn could lead to the development of ulcers.
Kaser warned: “High blood sugar levels can damage nerves in the feet, leading to decreased sensation and potentially ulcers.”
Poor foot hygiene can lead to athlete’s foot[/caption]
6. Poor foot hygiene
Poor foot hygiene is also another big mistake that people make which can have a huge impact on feet.
Kaser said: “Not washing feet regularly and drying them properly can result in athlete’s foot.”
Athlete’s foot is a fungal infection with one of the main symptoms being itchy white patches between the toes.
In some cases, skin may become cracked and bleed.
Maintaining good foot health
As well as avoiding these mistakes, Kaser makes sure his shoes have good arch support, and maintains good foot hygiene with regular washing, and good drying.
He also looks out for any foot red flags.
He said: “The main red flag to look out for in your feet is pain.
“If you’re experiencing pain in any area of your feet you should have it investigated in order to ascertain exactly what is causing it and to determine the best course of action.”
How to treat fungal foot infections
Athlete’s foot is a common fungal infection that affects the feet.
It can cause uncomfortable symptoms like itchy white patches between the toes, sometimes fluid-filled blisters.
The good news is you can usually treat it with creams, sprays or powders from a pharmacy.
The bad news is it can keep coming back.
Athlete’s foot treatments are available as:
- creams
- sprays
- powders
They usually take a few weeks to work.
You might need to try a few treatments to find one that works best for you.
Source: NHS
