Healthy, Painless Feet

Each foot consists of twenty-six bones, supported by a network of ligaments, muscles, blood vessels and nerves. Along with our eyes and hands they do more work than most parts of our body, so it is little wonder that things sometimes go wrong. Our feet are also mirrors of our general health. Signs of diabetes, arthritis, circulatory and neurological diseases often appear first in the feet.

Proper foot care is essential for healthy, painless, feet and should be as much a part of your daily routine as brushing your teeth. It is never too early to start caring for your feet and there is a lot you can do for yourself.

Basic hygiene and nail cutting may be all that is needed to maintain healthy feet. However, when normal feet become problem feet it is best to seek professional advice and help. The most common foot problems are:

PAINFUL NAILS

CORNS AND CALLUSES

VERRUCAS (WARTS)

FOOT PROBLEMS RELATED TO DIABETES

Painful Nails

If you have painful nails you could have an ingrown toenail, fungal infection or thickened nails due to recurrent trauma.

• Always cut nails straight across and not too short to prevent them from ingrowing.

*Never poke around at ingrown toenails as you may cause an infection and worsen the problem.

*If the nail is infected it should be seen by a doctor or nurse and may need antibiotics. Once cleared the offending piece of nail can be removed under a local anaesthetic by a podiatrist or doctor.

*Fungal infections of the nails may be caused by chronic athlete's foot.

•Treatment of nail fungus is more difficult to clear totally than when it affects the skin. As the nail thickens with a fungal infection, it is best for your Chiropodist to thin it down as far as possible before using treatment such as a paint or cream. This enables the treatment to reach the affected area in the most effective way.

•Occasionally anti-fungal tablets may be given on prescription to clear nail fungus. However the tablets have to be taken for a number of months, may not always work and can give side effects.

•Thickening of the nails can be a result of constant pressure from ill-fitting shoes, fungal infections or accidental damage, i.e. stubbing the toe.

Corns and Calluses

Typically found on the top, between toes or the soles of the feet. During walking you may feel burning sensations from calluses or sharp needle-like pain from corns.

*Calluses are caused from continuous friction in shoes over high pressure areas.

•Corns are usually found over joints that bear high pressures during walking.

*Types of corns include Hard corns commonly found under the soles caused by excessive pressure over a single joint, Soft corns found in between toes caused by rubbing and Seed corns, which are small but multiple, are found over any area which is subjected to excess friction in shoes.

*Treatment by your chiropodist may involve paring off with a surgical blade the excess calluses or enucleating the corns. Pads can be made to relieve bony areas and shoes can be modified.

*Never try to remove corns yourself as they may bleed and become infected. If they are long-term corns they may become vascularized which are more painful and harder to treat.

*You can keep hard skin down by filing the area with a file (when dry) and applying cream regularly. This applies to dry, cracked heels.

Verrucas (Warts)

Verrucas are plantar warts commonly found on the soles of the feet.

•Verrucas can affect any part of the foot and are commonly mistaken for corns.

•They can look white or brown with black spots giving a "pepperpot" effect.

•Unlike corns that cause pain from direct pressure, verrucas are painful when squeezed.

•Verrucas are caused by a viral infection, similar to warts, but grow inwards due to the weight on them when standing.

•They are commonly found on children (partly due to public swimming pools) and are easier to treat in children than in adults.

• There are different forms of treatment such as home treatments with over the-counter medication, chiropody treatment using liquid nitrogen and very rarely surgery.

Homeopathic remedies have proved to be successful, such as Thuja tincture. Other alternative medicine treatments include vinegar and banana skin.

• Verrucas are infectious and foot covering may be advisable. However, as the wart virus is endemic in the population, some health professionals feel there is no point in an individual taking any personal steps to prevent it spreading.

Diabetes

People who suffer with diabetes are at a higher risk of having complications with their feet. Diabetes can reduce the circulation and sensation in your feet. Awareness of changes in temperature, pain and touch may be diminished. Therefore, foot maintenance by a chiropodist, together with general foot care by the patient, is very important in preventing problems arising.

• Keep feet clean, free from infection and check for any signs of change.

• Get into the habit of checking your feet every day. If any abnormal changes occur such as discharge, throbbing, itching, redness, swelling then consult your chiropodist.

• Even if you have no foot problems, see your State Registered Chiropodist for regular check-ups. Diabetic patients will be given priority in receiving NHS treatment. The chiropodist who treats you will check for any changes, will cut your toenails if you have difficulty in doing this yourself, will remove pressure corns and calluses, and will give you footcare and footwear advice.

Feet First!

Our feet serve us well. They help us balance and carry us the distance equivalent to five times round the earth in an average lifetime. In return we rarely give them the attention they deserve, hiding them away in shoes and forgetting about them... until they rebel. Instead of putting our feet last, we should put them first. I hope you find the information given useful and I wish you all happy walking.