Save Your Soles!

Your feet have a lot to contribute to your life. Apart from carrying our entire body weight daily, we crush them onto an unhealthy array of foot wears.
Here are few common foot problems that that are contributed by the use of wrong foot ware or not taking good care of your feet. Let us learn how to avoid them...

• Calluses and Corns: They are hardened layers of skin developed particularly on the bony areas and joints of the sole. It is caused by bad fitting shoes and sometimes it can be painful.
Treatment: When the corn is painful or causes discomfort, it is best to consult with a chiropodist.
Prevention: It can be prevented by removing the early layers of hardened skin by using a pumice stone. Avoiding footware that are too loose or too tight also prevents corns and calluse formation.

• Bunions: It usually runs in families. They are painful bony swellings at the base of the big toe. It results from foot wear that cramp the feet.
Treatment: It can be treated with special orthotic insoles and pads that ease the pressure and help the feet stay comfortable. Surgery can correct severe cases.
Prevention: To prevent bunions, avoid wearing high heeled shoes for longer periods. Do not use shoes that cramp your toes together. There should be enough space between the end of the shoe and tip of your shoes.

• Verrucas: These are warts normally found on the soles or in between toes. It is a kind of viral infection. They start as a small pink area with few black dots and begin to spread into large areas.
Treatment: If it is not painful, you can leave it alone for your immune system to heal it. But if it is painful, see your chiropodist for treatment.
Prevention: This infection is contracted by viruses that thrive in damp areas like swimming pools and communal showers. Always use flip flops in such areas.

• Fallen arch: It is a condition when the arch of the foot collapses and becomes flat. It is a painful condition that results in achy feet and calves.
Treatment: Severe cases demand medical attention, while mild and moderate cases are treated with pain relief remedies and special insoles.
Prevention: It can be prevented by avoiding high heels. Heels tighten the tendon and restrict the movement of the ankle. This can cause the tendons in the foot arch to break or collapse.

• Athlete's foot: It is a fungal infection that leads to sore and itchy patches of skin in between the toes. It further cracks and flakes leading to unpleasant smell. If the toe nails are also infected, they thicken and turn brown.
Treatment: This condition can be treated better by a chiropodist with topical solutions and other medications prescribed by him.
Prevention: To prevent athlete's foot, change your socks daily and do not wear the same shoes for two days in a row. Use footware that allows free air circulation between toes. Dry the skin between your toes after a shower or after every other time you wash your feet.