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On average our feet take approximately 10,000 steps per day and during warm weather, our feet are more exposed and more vulnerable to irritation and injury, says Stephen Gardiner, a registered podiatrist of “A Foot Above”, Bath Street, Ilkeston. Some of these problems are caused by our choice of footwear, and inadequate foot care regimes. “One of the most common foot problems we see in the summertime is cracking in the heels,” Gardiner says. “People complain of dry, cracked heels, which are normally caused by open-backed shoes such as sandals. During the summertime, you might want to alternate closed shoes with sandals”. “Avoid sandals with thongs between the toes, like a flip-flop,” he says. “These can be annoying to the skin between your toes and can cause problems with blisters, corns and calluses”. One of Gardiner’s strongest recommendations is to always measure your feet whenever you buy sandals or shoes of any kind. Pay special attention to the part of the shoe called the ‘toe box’, making sure it’s round enough and wide enough not to squeeze your toes. Narrow, pointed styles, he says, can irritate bony deformities and worsen such problems as bunions or hammertoes. A round toe box will benefit your feet greatly. If you’d like to test your own shoes, simply trace your bare foot on a piece of paper, then place your shoe on the tracing. If you can see the toes on either side of the shoe, the toe box is too pointed or too narrow. Persons with diabetes need to be especially careful in the summer, says Gardiner. Because of a common condition called peripheral neuropathy, or numbness in their feet, they might not notice a cut or fissure (cracks) in the skin caused by stepping on a thorn, piece of glass, splinter or other foreign body. In the summertime,
remember to take good care of hot, aching feet. “Sometimes a nice soak
in cool water with a little Epsom salts or a massage is helpful,” says Gardiner.
“If your feet are consistently painful at the end of the day, maybe you
should visit a Podiatrist and determine if this is a medical problem”.
Foot health care is important. Basic rules for foot care
If you are suffering from any of the above symptoms, please call “A Foot Above” for an appointment with a professional, registered Podiatrist.
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Summer
Foot Care, Summer Footwear