It’s Foot Health Awareness Month and while for 30-days every year in April, people in the foot care or footwear industry are trying to expand their knowledge and importance of proper foot maintenance, there’s a catch. 30 days doesn’t cut it.
It takes meticulous and intentional care every day of the year.
Simple practices like drying between toes and applying lotion after bathing contribute greatly toward preventing fungal infections. And while painting interior or home exterior walls act as a sealant, it’s vital to skip nail polish for several months per year to prevent your nails from becoming brittle or growing fungus.
Whether it takes great acrobatic maneuvering or extending your foot over a mirror, inspecting your foot for cracks, peeling, dry skin, blisters, corns and other protrusions is vital to avoid infections or a non-healing wound. Especially if you are diabetic. And this is just stuff you may experience outwardly.
National Foot Health Awareness Month is about being self-aware of what’s happening with your feet. Whether it’s external or internal. Often one day with pain is one day too many. It’s time to discover where it’s coming from and how you can improve the quality of your life by adjusting your lifestyle, your footwear and finding the right help.
Footwear That Promotes Healthy Habits: High heels, flats, flip flops and sandals are making a comeback with warmer weather! And their comeback story is a bit woeful considering the pain people are experiencing. Often these categories of shoes do not offer the most pronounced support. Be on the lookout for brands that specialize in orthotic technology with built-in support, reducing stress on your feet -thus ankles, knees and back. When it comes to high heels, compromise with a lower heel that doesn’t over extended your arch and put to much stress on compressing your toes. When wearing flats, flip flops or sandals, ensure you alternate them throughout the week (or day) with other shoes that offer more support. Depending on your footwear’s shape and look, you can utilize arch inserts to compensate for any discomfort and lack of stability.
Check-In to Cut Out Pain: Just as soon as you think you’ve found your shoe size, your foot may change in other ways. As you shop for shoes, periodically have your foot measured for width, arch and even size to ensure you have the most proper fit.
Moreover, despite having the most stabilizing footwear, pain doesn’t have to be a part of your life. Numbness, tingling and general pain or discomfort are worth a call to your general practitioner and podiatrist. Keep up a good rapport with them. As soon as you suffer from any ankle, foot or toe injury follow up with them rather then toughing it out. The more you prolong seeking medical attention, the longer you will suffer from pain. Left untreated, injuries can result in the development of arthritis, bones not aligning properly in the healing process and limited mobility.
Decreasing The Diabetes Threat: From clipping toenails, to nerve damage and watching your weight, when you have diabetes, your feet are often most affected. However, when you are proactive with annual (or more if necessary) foot inspections with your doctor, you make great strides toward avoiding the harrowing fact that nearly every 15-minutes, amputations are done due to diabetes. Your feet can take you all over the world. They shouldn’t be what takes you to the surgical table for an amputation. When you begin to lose sensation in your feet (meaning the pain begins to dull), experience low circulation, have excess weight or don’t have the proper arch support, each detail adds a sense of emergency to find the proper footwear and medication and treatment plan to eliminate the threats and slow down or stop the process.
What we eat. How we shower. Our exercise routine. Ultimately it all can affect the way our feet feel and how we walk. Pain doesn’t have to be part of our lives. Sometimes all it takes is a good pair of shoes and daily care to make that happen.
Let ELM Shoes improve your quality of walk.
-Your Missing Sock