Monday, July 27, 2009

Foot Health Advice To Prevent Foot Problems

By Allan Tan

Foot health advice can cover a variety of foot health topics including ways to treat or avoid foot problems. Some foot health advice is designed for the general public, while some may be specifically for people with diabetes since they are susceptible to serious foot health problems.

The proper fit of shoes is more important than most people realize. Footwear that does not fit properly can cause some foot health problems. Ill-fitting footwear can cause bunions and other foot health problems.

Shoes that are too tight or too narrow can alter the alignment of the bones of the foot. The pushing of the bones along the outside of the ball of the foot can form bunions. Shoes that do not fit well can also cause blisters and corns.

Regular foot washing helps foot health by removing bacteria, cleaning off dirt, and preparing the feet for the most effective moisturizing. Every part of the foot, including the areas between the toes, needs to be dried thoroughly after washing.

Bathing or soaking the feet adds moisture to the skin of the feet. By using moisturizer or foot lotion after soaking or washing the feet, the moisturizing product can lock in some of this moisture. Lotions, creams, and moisturizers should not be applied between the toes.

Some foot health advice is about ingrown toenails. When cutting the toenails, the person should avoid cutting the nails too short, especially the sides of the nail. If it is cut too short, a toenail may grow into the skin.

To treat an ingrown toenail, the person should place a thin, small piece of sterile gauze between the toenail and the skin. This gauze needs to be replaced with clean, sterile gauze at least once a day. If a person with diabetes develops an ingrown toenail, the diabetic patient should seek medical treatment.

People with diabetes have special foot concerns since diabetes can cause complications, such as nerve damage and damage to the circulatory system, that may cause foot health problems. A person with diabetes may not feel an injury to the foot which could go undetected and become infected.

Infection can result from undetected foot injuries. Many diabetic patients have difficulty fighting infection. The infection can become serious and develop gangrene which often requires amputation.

About the Author:

No comments:

Post a Comment