Four travel tips for your feet

Whether you are going to the beach for enjoying the sun and the sand, or planning a hike, your legs and feet should be fit to sail through it all. But getting your feet travel-ready isn’t an overnight job. From treating foot issues like blisters and corns ahead of your trip to choosing the right shoes based on your travel destination and the activities you plan to indulge in, taking the right steps is important. After all, having aching and sore feet would take the joy out of your carefully planned travel itinerary. Yet, most people ignore their feet until it interferes with their travel plans. If you too belong to this list, here are some travel tips for your feet that could help.

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• Treat foot issues and get your feet in tip-top condition: If you suffer from foot conditions like blisters, corns, calluses, or ingrown toenails, get them treated before your trip to avoid infections and other issues that may cause pain and discomfort during travel. In case you suffer from arch pain, bunion pain or pain in the heel, get it assessed and treated because during your travel, walking more than what you usually do or on uneven surfaces could aggravate the condition.

• Select the right shoes: Depending on the climate of your destination and the terrain you need to travel to reach there, the amount of luggage you will be carrying, and the activities you have planned, select the right shoes that offer your feet adequate support and cushioning. In case you need to purchase a new pair, break them in before wearing them on your trip to avoid surprise blisters and other issues.

• Take steps to avoid infections: Travelling to different climates, taking a dip in a hotel swimming pool or showering in different hotels during the course of your journey – all these can make your feet prone to infections like plantar warts andAthlete's foot. To protect your feet, wash and dry them, and wear rubber flip-flops around the pool and in shower. As a preventive measure,you may use a tea tree oil foot spray to reduce your risk of infections. 

•  Wear flight socks, if needed, and use orthotics, if suggested: If you have a history of swollen feet and ankles after a long flight and are about to travel a long distance, choose flight socks with the right compression level and of the right size to ensure a comfortable flight. In case your podiatrist has suggested the use of orthotics, don’t forget them when you travel. Also, if you arebuying a new pair of shoes before your trip, get the right fit wearing those orthotics

      Traveling to and exploring a new place is an incredible experience, which you should enjoy to the optimum. If you forget to take proper care of your feet and they start feeling uncomfortable and aching so that the only thing you think of is reaching your hotel to kick off your shoes, your entire travel itinerary can soon turn from something you were looking forward to with great interest to an unpleasant one. Don’t let that happen because you truly deserve your hard earned retreat. 

4 Conditions Faced by Ballet Dancers that Podiatrists Can Help with

Leaping in your Pointe shoes or maneuvering those highly athletic moves may give you an adrenaline rush as a ballet dancer, but they could be causing you foot pain and injuries too. From improper technique and fatigues to wearing toe shoes or thin slippers that aren’t designed to absorb shock (and thus making your lower extremities absorb most forces of impact), there are several factors that can make your life and especially, your feet, prone to problems and injuries. Here are four such common foot conditions that a podiatrist can help you with:

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1. Corns and calluses: Ill-fitting shoes that trigger fiction between your feet and the shoes, or wearing pointe shoes without breaking them in, can cause corns and calluses. Apart from being painful and interfering with your performance, these may even cause ulcers, if left untreated. If you already suffer from corns or calluses, a podiatrist can help treat and remove them. If you aren’t yet affected by these conditions, a podiatrist can help you select the right shoes, suggest tips on proper foot care and even offer insights into breaking in pointe shoes the right way to prevent corns and calluses.

2. Cuboid syndrome: This condition is triggered when the ligaments and joint close to your foot’s cuboid bone become torn or injured. When you perform pirouettes or jumps, your foot may sometimes fail to hold its proper alignment, which in turn may cause cuboid syndrome. With joint manipulation, assessing your technique, strapping, and use of in-shoe devices for offloading pressure, a podiatrist can help you continue with your dance moves while letting the injured region get healed.

3. Epiphysitis: Extreme bio mechanical demands that ballet places on the dancer may cause this condition when the first metatarsalphalangeal joint is subjected to extensive (90 to 100 degrees of) dorsiflexion. Epiphysitis is characterized by inflammation, tenderness and pain that subside with rest. A podiatrist can help by suggesting modified activities that you should continue with for four to five weeks until your symptoms subside. After this, your foot doctor would let you resume your normal routine gradually, based on your tolerance level.

4. Stress fractures: Ballet’s repetitive movements often trigger stress fractures, particularly of the metatarsals and toes. When diagnosed with a stress fracture, your podiatrist would suggest you rest, to let your bone get healed properly. This is usually followed by a series of rehabilitation exercises (dance-specific) that would let you return to your dance routine sans any discomfort or pain. Since healing bones is a long procedure that can take about six weeks, consulting a podiatrist is the best way to keep yourself well-conditioned (by following the advised strategies and exercises) while letting your injured bone have the rest necessary for its healing.

Ignoring your foot pain or dancing with troubling issues can often worsen the situation and may even threaten your career as a professional, or even force you to stay away from your dancing shoes in case you are a hobbyist. So, it’s best to consult a podiatrist at the first signs of a problem to make sure the root cause is diagnosed the right way and treated promptly. After all, you don’t want to hang up your dancing shoes due to a foot injury or serious foot condition, right?

Helpful information and effective remedies regarding everyday foot problems

Human body undergoes different phases of transformation with age, disease, disability or even pregnancy. These affect each body organ and that includes the foot too. With growing irregularities and changes, every individual encounters foot problems, either rarely or frequently. While some foot conditions are hereditary, many are caused due to hormonal changes, inadequate exercises or insufficient calcium intake. According to a study conducted by the US Public Health Service, even racial factors can determine bone strength, e.g. Blacks experience comparatively lesser foot problems than whites since they have higher bone mass.

While the hereditary factor can’t be controlled, it is possible to monitor lifestyle and life-stage factors to a great extent, thus ensuring a healthy foot throughout life. There are certain common foot conditions which people experience now and then; few of these are discussed below:-

• Calluses – result from accumulation of dead skin cells. An area of the foot is hardened and thickened causing discomfort or even pain while walking. Calluses usually happen from wearing high-heeled or ill-fitted shoes. So the best remedy is to shift to comfortable footwear with adequate padding or custom-made insole to protect and soothe the affected portion.
• Bunion – is one foot problem which falls into the serious category. One alarming aspect about Bunions is that it is hereditary and often affects both feet. A kind of arthritis or bone de-generation, this foot condition starts as a bony bump on the outside of big toe. Switching to orthotics and doing regular exercises helps in alleviating bunion related pain to great extent.
• Hammertoes or twisted toes – is a kind of deformity whereby your toes bend or curl downward thus resembling bird’s claws. The condition can cause extreme discomfiture while walking or flexing your foot. Apart from being hereditary, this disease may result from calluses, bunions, corns or due to severe neurological trauma. Ill fitting shoes might also be the culprit. To get relief from hammertoes, shift to shoes with high and broad toe box.
• Morton’s Neuroma – is another common foot problem which can cause extreme pain, swelling or inflammation of a nerve. Numbness, cramping and tingling sensation in the forefoot are few other symptoms of this foot condition. Usually the portion between third and fourth feet gets affected by Neuroma. The best way to relieve pain and treat Neuroma is by selecting footwear which comes with high and wide toe box. Another effective treatment is to have orthotic designed with metatarsal pad.
• Ingrown toenails – can be a painful condition which arises due to inaccurate nail trimming. Sometimes it can be hereditary too. While the ingrown toenail cures by itself as the nail grows sometimes the pain and discomfort becomes unbearable and the area may get infected in extreme cases. Apart from trying out some home remedies, it is a wise idea to approach a podiatrist to get rid of the infected nail through a nominal surgical procedure.

If foot problems keep recurring after regular intervals, then don’t ignore.  Get in touch with a foot care specialist for professional and precise guidance. 

How to deal with foot conditions arising out of diabetes

Diabetes, also called the silent killer is one serious disease which affects health in a serious manner. The blood glucose commonly known as blood sugar level rises to an extreme extent either because of inadequate insulin production or because body cells don’t respond to insulin. Sometimes both may happen thus worsening the condition. The end result: several complications related to heart, eyes, kidneys, nerves and skin. 

When an individual is affected with diabetes certain foot problems can take serious turn. Even ordinary problems become severe. This happens because of nerve damage when your feet loose sensation. 

Alarming foot conditions related to diabetes

• Neuropathy How does it feel when your feet can’t sense anything! No pain, heat nor cold, even if you get injured. A stone or a pin may get tucked inside your shoes and you wear it the whole day without realizing anything. Your foot may get injured but you fail to notice it till the skin breaks down and gets infected. You don’t sense any painful blisters. Yes, this sounds really creepy and dangerous! This is what diabetic neuropathy can cause to your foot – serious nerve damage. Because of neuropathy, you may notice sudden changes in the shape of feet and toes, commonly called hammer toes, Charcot feet or Bunions.
  While for some these symptoms remain mild and unnoticeable for many the neuropathy can turn out to be painful, grave and even fatal too.
  
• Skin changes
Your foot skin may turn dry, start to crack or peel. This is because nerves which control oil and moisture fail to work properly.

• Calluses
Development of callus happens more often and the growth is quite alarming. If not treated in time, these can turn into open sores or ulcers.

• Poor blood circulation
Your foot loses the ability to fight infection and heal fast. Because of diabetes blood vessels of the foot and leg become narrow and hard. Poor circulation results in inadequate supply of oxygen and nutrition to skin and other tissues.

Foot care for diabetes affected patients 

As mentioned in the very beginning, diabetes being a silent killer, often gets detected at a later stage. However by leading a healthy lifestyle and consulting a physician on regular basis, it is possible to keep this killer disease under control. For particular foot conditions arising out of diabetes, it is better to get in touch with a podiatrist. Since foot care and diabetes are closely related only an expert “foot doctor” will be able to guide you about the right course of treatment. 

Many podiatrists recommend specially designed orthotics with Plastazote foam, for diabetic foot. Plastazote, also referred as soft tissue supplementation, are available in two densities. The softest density is used for cushion on top while the firmer density offers bottom support. The best thing is that after 2 to 6 weeks of usage they mold perfectly with the curves of your feet thus providing the right comfort and protection for diabetic foot. Many diabetic patients have benefited by wearing footwear containing Plastazote foam. However, make sure that the footwear has removable insoles, high & wide toe box, rocker soles and firm heel contours. 

By following a healthy routine and keeping close watch of your foot conditions you can avert severe outcomes. To ensure protection from cuts and bruises, try to wear shoes with socks most of the time. Using heating pads to keep the foot warm can be risky since you may not feel the rising temperature. If any cut or bruise takes time to heal then get in touch with your doctor. For appropriate foot care tips, do consult an expert podiatrist.

Diabetics and foot problems

People who suffer from diabetes are at a high risk for a number of problems including foot ailments. Some of the common foot problems that people who suffer from diabetes could get are diabetic neuropathy, peripheral vascular disease, athlete’s foot, fungal infection of the nails, ingrown toenails, bunions, calluses, corns, blisters etc.

Preventing diabetic related foot problems

By taking care of your diabetes, you are taking care of your foot problems too. But even so, it is advisable for a diabetic to see a podiatrist regularly to make sure that they are not at risk from any kind of foot ailments. Wearing the right kind of shoes can go a long way in keeping foot problems at bay. 

There are some good looking shoes especially made for people with diabetes. They look good and protect the feet. Some of them are:

The Orthofeet Women's Slip-On Wedge 

This is a therapeutic shoe that looks as great as it feels. Orthofeet shoes offer the most comfortable fit and pain relief for those suffering from diabetes, plantar fasciitis, heel spurs, bunions, hammertoes, corns, Morton’s neuroma, and swollen feet and toes. Orthofeet Easy Slip-On Low-Heel shoes combine handsome, non-binding design, along with a unique closure system and therapeutic shoe detailing for the ultimate comfort and protection. 

Orthofeet Women's Slip-On Wedge Shoe with a strap

This is a lightweight shoe with a moderate wedge design that provides comfort and looks attractive. It has supple leather with extra foam padding in the tongue and collar. The hook and loop straps and a wide opening make for an easy on/off shoe. The construction across the metatarsals provides extra room, if needed, to accommodate swollen feet and forefoot deformities, especially bunions. It has seamless fabric lining, padded with foam enhances comfort and protection. It has a stretchable padded collar along the entire edge of the upper insures comfortable fit, box and eliminates pressure points. Wider and deeper toe box ensures a comfortable fit, even for those with hammertoes and corns. It has a cushioning sole for added comfort. It is made of light weight EVA midsole and rubber outsole. It has an adjustable and customized fit with a single strap that can be fastened on either side of the shoe. 

SteriShoe Ultraviolet Shoe Sanitizer

The SteriShoe Ultraviolet Shoe Sanitizer is a safe, easy and highly effective way to provide a healthier in-shoe environment for feet and is doctor tested and recommended. It kills up to 99.9% of the germs that cause foot infections and offensive shoe odor and helps keep at-risk feet safer. The combination of sweat and heat inside the shoe makes for a perfect breeding ground for the bacteria and fungi that cause toenail fungus, athlete’s foot, and foul odor. And when foot conditions already exist, then shoes can also be a common source of post-treatment re-infection. Therefore, to fully minimize the likelihood of new or re-infection, germs must be eradicated at the risk source! Hundreds of doctors dispense SteriShoe and patients across the US benefit from SteriShoe every day. 

The innovative SteriShoe® shoe sanitizer kills the germs that reside inside shoes with a special germicidal ultraviolet light (UVC). With the first treatment, SteriShoe destroys up to 99.9% of the microorganisms in shoes, including the bacteria and fungi that cause toenail fungus (onychomycosis), athlete’s foot (tinea pedis) and offensive foot odor. SteriShoe is also an excellent choice for those with diabetes or concerned about their foot hygiene.

With this kind of good looking and comfortable shoes available, people suffering from diabetes no longer need to compromise looks for protection.