Senior Beat
by Carol Higgins Taylor
Special to The Weekly
As winter approaches, the time to take a good look at your feet is now. Boot season is coming up. Are your feet ready to be confined in heavy socks and stiff boots for long periods of time? Healthy feet are a necessary component to overall good health.
Think about it. If your feet hurt, the rest of you isn’t too happy either. We abuse our feet while expecting a lot from them.
And being diabetic complicates things. People with diabetes are more likely to have foot problems because the disease can cause poor blood circulation and nerve damage in the feet, making them vulnerable to developing ulcers, infections, deformities and brittle bones.
Here are some tips for good foot care:
• Inspect feet daily for injuries that could lead to dangerous ulcers. If there is loss of sensation in the foot these things can crop up without you realizing it.
• Gently wash fees in lukewarm, not hot, water everyday, but don’t soak them for a prolonged period of time as that can cause dryness, especially if you are diabetic.
• Moisturize feet but avoid the area between the toes.
• Never trim corns or calluses and this can lead to a serious infection.
• Trim toenails very carefully and never shorter than the end of the toe. Cut straight across or lightly follow the natural curve of the toe and use an emery board to smooth to avoid rough edges.
• Inspect the insides of the shoes before wearing for any rough spots that may have developed. Feet spend a lot of time in shoes which are a warm, humid and dark place. That is
the perfect condition for fungus to grow but taking precautions can help.
• Wear shoes that fit and replace them when they are worn out. When buying new shoes, shop later in the day when feet tend to swell and put the new shoes on a flat surface before buying. Make sure they are level and don’t tilt in either direction, which could signal a manufacturing defect.
• Wear acrylic or wool socks as they wick away moisture from the feet, and change them often. Be sure they are not too tight which can restrict circulation.
• Alternate shoes everyday. Wearing the same pair all the time doesn’t give them a chance to dry out.
• Spray the inside of the shoes with a disinfectant. Let dry. Use an anti-fungal powder as prevention. Topical fungal treatments rarely work on toenails and oral medication may be necessary.
A common and very painful foot injury is plantar fasciitis or heel pain. Continual stress causes small tears in the plantar fascia resulting in inflammation and eventually a heel spur. If you are experiencing heel pain, contact your health care provider.
There are three recommended principles of treatments for plantar fasciitis that your doctor may prescribe.
• Reduce the inflammation with ice and ibuprofen.
• Protect the plantar fascia from further trauma, through taping the foot, shoe inserts or wearing a shoe with a stiff shank that doesn’t bend in the middle of the arch but across the ball of the foot.
• Stretch and strengthen the ankle, foot, and calf muscles. If symptoms persist,
you may need physical therapy.
Heed this advice and you’ll certainly put your best foot forward.
And ladies, for a real mood booster, paint your toenails the brightest fall color you can find. While no one may see them, you’ll know they look pretty. It’s a mood lifter. And if you have never had a professional pedicure, give it a try. It’s worth the money.
Carol Higgins Taylor is an advocate for seniors and owns a public relations firm in Bangor. Email her at 4chtaylor@gmail.com.