Healthy Feet and Ankles

Please note: the information presented in this Hubpage is not intended to be a substitute for the professional advice of a Podiatrist. One of the first steps to healthy feet is daily care. Treating your feet well before you experience problems is the best way to prevent them from occurring. The feet are full of tendons and muscles that we rely on every day to get us around. There are a number of stretching techniques you can use to care for those weight-bearing tissues to help prevent injury, pulling, tendinitis and unnatural torque. To stretch the lower leg muscles and tendons connecting the calves to the back of the foot, stand with both feet on a step or phone book, with the heels extended beyond the step. Gently lower the heels until you feel a stretch in the Achilles tendon and calf. (The muscles in the feet are closely related to and affected by the leg muscles; stretching both is vital.) Another way to do this is place your hands on a wall, and hold your body at an angle with feet flat on the floor. Walk your feet out from the wall, holding them flat, until you feet a stretch in feet bottoms, the Achilles tendon and the lower legs. To stretch the toes, scrunch them tightly toward the heels and hold for several seconds. Next, extend them straight and back as far from the heels as possible. Rest, and then repeat the cycle. There are several stretches meant to prevent plantar fasciitis. Sit on the floor with legs stretched out in front of you. Loop a towel around the top part of the foot and pull until you feel a stretch along the bottom of the foot. Hold for 30 seconds, release, rest and then repeat 10 times. Another excellent treatment for this part of the foot is to take a can and roll it slowly from toes to heel, putting pressure on those often-sore foot bottoms.Any time you can relieve some of the daily stress and pressure put on the feet, you’ll speed healing and help prevent injury. A podiatrist will be able to assist you identifying other foot and ankle excises which can help you. If you are experience pain or discomfort please see a licensed Podiatrist to obtain professional care.

This information is not intended to take the place of a consultation with Podiatrist. Podiatrists must licensed per the American Podiatric Medical Association. A bunion is a bone enlargement at base of the big toe, around the joint connecting the toe to the foot. While you should consult a doctor about any growths or serious discomforts, there are things you can do at home to make yourself more comfortable and prevent worsening of the condition. You can start by choosing your activities wisely. While you should never give up exercise entirely, you can reduce pressure to your sore spots by choosing bicycling or swimming. You can also wear shoes that are roomy enough to allow your toes and joints unrestricted space. Either buy shoes that provide enough space, or stretch your shoes in the areas that are troublesome. A cobbler or shoe shop can provide advice about stretching shoes, or do it for you, if you can’t do it at home.There are a number of over-the-counter items that can help prevent further enlargement and pain throughout your day. Providing support behind the joint that’s bothering you takes some of the daily pressure off. Use arch supports, bunion pads or moleskin. They help balance your weight, taking it off of the area already injured and spread it out across the whole of your foot. To reduce pain and swelling it is safe to take a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory such as aspirin or ibuprofen. Before taking any medication consult with a San Francisco Podiatry specialist. At the end of a long day, the best and probably easiest thing you can do for the affected area is ice it for 10 to 20 minutes and elevate it above the level of the heart. This helps reduce inflammation and soothe the aches. If you experience prolonged pain or soreness, consult with your local Podiatry specialist.

If you have odorous feet continually, you should contact a Podiatrist as it may a sign of an underlying medical condition. Most people’s feet just happen to spend a huge chunk of the day in a warm, moist environment just perfect for growing bacteria. It’s no surprise then when so many of those feet sport a less than savory odor when pulled out of the hot house in the shoes. The bacteria breaks down the sweat released by the feet and lets off the stink so commonly associated with these body parts. Luckily there’s a lot that can be done about this that’s simple and easy to do at home. Number one – wash well and often. The less time bacteria have to grow and form on the feet the less that sweat will smell. Use a deodorant soap and dry thoroughly. If the smell is particularly bad, it may be good to do this several times a day. However, if the feet start to get excessively dry and scaly, cut back on the washing a bit. For feet that produce a lot of sweat, try a soak in a mixture of warm water and kosher salt – one quart of water to one cup of salt. This can leach some of that excess moisture away and hopefully reduce the sweat causing the smell. To mask that daily odor, it’s actually not a bad idea to employ the same deodorant used every day on the armpits. It won’t get rid of the sweat, but it can help kill bacteria and cover the smell. Deodorizing foot powder is another over the counter product that can knock out smell while reducing sweat. A Podiatrist can also prescribe medical strength powder. Breathable socks and open shoes, when possible, can take away the worst of that hot, humid environment that breeds this problem – as can cleaning and regularly drying out the closed shoes worn frequently. Anything to get rid of excess moisture and sterilize the bacteria. There are also a number of foods that can make already stinky sweat even more odiferous. Garlic, onions and peppers all contain substances that break down and come out in the sweat. Avoiding these strong foods can help reduce odor.The advice listed in this article is not intended to be a substitute for the medical guidance of a professional San Francisco Podiatrist.