Cracked heels can quickly become a serious problem if they’re ignored. Let’s dive in to learn why our skin must be protected and nurtured to keep it intact and doing its job!
When we walk, our feet must move and adapt in certain ways to lessen the risk for injury, pain and discomfort. To prepare for contacting ground, the foot arch must be higher or more supinated, making the foot a rigid lever for heel strike. As the body progresses through the gait cycle, the arch flattens slightly or pronates to adapt to uneven terrain and absorb shock from the ground.
Toenail fungus is evident in the toenail itself, but the infection resides in the nail bed underneath the nail plate. The nail matrix or cells from which the nail grows is the part of the toenail that becomes infected with fungus.
When standing, the body is a closed kinetic chain, meaning what happens in the feet can affect the ankles, knees, hips and back. If the feet are abnormally positioned or their alignment is off, the rest of the body could suffer.
A neuroma is a thickening of nerve tissue that can develop in various parts in the body. The most common neuroma in the foot is a Morton’s neuroma, which develops between the third and fourth toes in the ball of the foot.
Programs such as OHIP (Ontario Health Insurance Plan), HIBC (Health Insurance British Columbia), and MSI (Medical Services Insurance) typically do not cover the items or services offered at BioPed for your foot health.
Patients with diabetes frequently develop an intermittent or permanent loss of sensation (neuropathy) in their feet. Without the warning of discomfort or pain, pressures developed from poorly fitting footwear, particularly on the soles of the "diabetic foot" can result in an open ulcer
Fungal toenails, also known as onychomycosis, occur due to an infection of the nail. It is similar to another fungal infections of the foot, such as Athlete’s foot, although they differ in their location and treatment protocol. It is vital to understand these differences when preventing and attending to fungal toenails.
