The best offense is a good defense. This saying applies to feet too, not just sports! If you practice proper lower limb care, you won’t need to worry about pesky foot pain ruining your future plans. Today we will go over everything you will need to do to keep those feet in tip top shape.
Monitor your feet and legs!
Take a look at those feet! As simple as this sounds, just taking a look at your lower legs and feet is extremely important to monitor for health risks over time. Noticing some callousing? Your shoes might be fitting too tightly or too loosely. Varicosities or spider veins on your legs? Maybe compression socks are the next step! Dry skin? It might be time to buy some moisturizer! Keep a close on your legs and feet, as spotting problem areas early is important to ensure small issues do not become grave concerns.
Shoes!
Having a great pair of shoes is the key to keeping pain away. The shoe is the foundation to your body (and feet) so having a shoe that fits well and is appropriate for the activities you do is crucial. A few things to keep in mind with footwear:
- Stay away from shoes with narrow toe boxes (say no to pointy-toe shoes!). No one likes bunions! These styles of shoes put unnecessary pressure on the forefoot and can aid in causing or worsening bunions, callousing and even metatarsalgia (ball of foot pain).
- Invest in quality shoes! Always look to opt for a high quality shoe rather than the one that’s on sale. Great quality shoes are generally built better, leading to a long-lasting supportive shoe.
- Replace shoes often, especially if you wear them daily. While some shoes may look great 1 year into use, the material that makes up the foundation will be compressed making your joints and muscles work harder and absorb more shock.
- Wear footwear in your house! You spend a lot of time on your feet inside your house, supporting them well at home is important to keep those feet happy.
Compression socks!
We all work hard and our body can feel it towards the end of a long day on our feet. Circulation issues or not, we could all benefit from the effects of compression socks. Compression socks allow our lower limbs to work more efficiently by providing a helping hand at increasing blood return back to the heart and reduce swelling. The best part is that they come in plenty of different colours, pressure gradients and sizes to accommodate everyone.
Come see us today!
If you want to learn more about what you can do to ensure your legs and feet at set up for success, or are currently suffering from pain that limits you from doing what you love, please book an appointment today! At BioPed Footcare, we are here help you. Meet with one of BioPed’s lower limb clinicians to see how we can keep your feet and legs healthy!
