As we hope for warm weather this summer and sandals become the footwear of choice, it is important to pay extra attention to the health and wellbeing of your feet.
Every stride you take as a runner is influenced by your unique gait pattern, which can have a huge impact on your overall running experience and foot health. In this blog, we'll explore the importance of gait analysis for runners from a podiatric standpoint.
While some individuals with ‘flat feet’ may not experience any symptoms, for others, it can lead to discomfort and pain. Understanding the symptoms, causes, and treatment options for flat feet is essential for managing this condition effectively.
A low level of blood flow to your legs and/or feet is a condition known as poor blood circulation in the legs and feet. This is an important topic because if poor circulation is left unmanaged it can develop into a more serious medical condition.
The more seriously a person takes their exercise, the more willing they are to shell out for the proper gear. There will always be the odd few people who try a sport once, buy all the flashy gear, and then never touch it again, but in general, a well-equipped athlete is one who puts a lot of thought and hard work into their exercise.
Ankle injuries can be a very frustrating thing. While they are usually not the most serious of health problems, they can be extremely inconvenient. Without being able to simply put some weight on our foot, we suddenly find it very hard to get around, and our whole lives are disrupted. And if you play sports, the recovery time alone can destroy your ability to practice and set you back quite a bit. Unfortunately, ankle injuries are a fairly common occurrence, so here are a few things you should know.
Sore feet are far from a rare occurrence. A long day at work or a late night out is all it takes to bring on that familiar sense of throbbing when we finally sit down at the end of the day. But this kind of pain is usually gone by the next day, and doesn’t really cause us any long term problems or discomfort. Pain that is concentrated in the heel is a different story. Heel pain is usually the result of a problem that has been building up for some time, and so, it also tends to stick around longer. If you have been experiencing heel pain for more than a few days, here are some things you should know.
Unfortunately, there are a lot of things that can go wrong with our feet. Skin and bones can break, blisters can form, toenails and even toes can grow the wrong way, and the list goes on. Despite the fact that most of these are not very serious health risks, these can easily become very uncomfortable and debilitating, as our feet are not only used practically all day every day, but also bear the weight of our entire bodies.
Chilblains are swollen, painful patches that appear on the skin of our extremities in cold weather. Also known as pernio, perniosis, or cold-induced vascular disorder, chilblains are generally considered harmless, although they can be itchy, painful, and cause lesions or blisters. They are usually red in colour, although they can be blue, and the skin surrounding chilblains may look shiny as a result of swelling.
If you have decided to return to sports after staying out for a while, you are probably aware that you need to ease back into things. Most people don’t need to be told that they will have lost flexibility, strength, and skill after an extended period of inactivity, and will be extra conscious about any potential injuries. But even the smartest and most well-meaning people can forget things, and one of the most overlooked areas of the body is the foot.
If you have decided to return to sports after staying out for a while, you are probably aware that you need to ease back into things. Most people don’t need to be told that they will have lost flexibility, strength, and skill after an extended period of inactivity, and will be extra conscious about any potential injuries. But even the smartest and most well-meaning people can forget things, and one of the most overlooked areas of the body is the foot.
After weeks of wearing a cast, your foot is likely to feel a little strange when it comes off. Apart from looking a bit pale and wrinkled, your foot may also be swollen and a bit stiff. But once the cast is off, your foot will feel lighter and easier to manoeuvre. But just because the cast is finally off doesnt mean you can just pick up where you left off. There are a few things you should do first to make your transition back to normal life as easy as possible.
Blisters are small, fluid-filled bubbles on the skin that form as a result of friction, heat, or infection. The majority of this fluid is lymph, which helps keep our tissues and bloodstream clean, although a blister may also contain some amounts of plasma, blood, or pus as well. Blisters actually form as a defense mechanism to protect the lower levels of skin, but despite their best intentions, they can be quite painful. For this reason, we have put together a list of 8 ways to prevent blisters.
Whether you’re getting ready to go barefoot or just looking to be pampered, pedicures are a popular way for people all over the world to treat themselves. Our feet are often one of the first parts to get sore when we work hard or exercise properly, so getting them massaged and beautified can feel like a great, well-earned reward. But as nice as they may feel, there are certain health risks associated with pedicures that often get overlooked.
Psoriasis is a chronic skin condition where the life cycle of skin cells is accelerated, causing them to rapidly accumulate on the surface layer. It most commonly manifests as red, scaly patches or small spots, and can cause skin to crack, itch, and burn. There are many different types of psoriasis, but not all of them can affect the feet.
All new parents learn pretty quickly that there are very few aspects of your child’s existence that don’t require your intervention. Whether that realisation comes as you clean a surprising amount of dandruff out of their crib, or as you use a nasal aspirator to clear their nose, everyone eventually figures out just how many things we assume happen naturally actually require a parent’s attention. In terms of your child’s footcare, there is a lot more to it than simply buying the right shoes and making sure they don’t stub their toes. Here, we’re going to give some advice on how to look after your child’s feet.
When you see the suffix “-itis” used in terms of anatomy, such as tonsillitis or tendinitis, it means that the body part in question has become inflamed. Plantar fasciitis therefore is the swelling of the Plantar fascia, a thick band of connective tissue that runs along the bottom of your foot, connecting your heels to your toes. The Plantar fascia is one of the most commonly used ligaments in the human body, so it is not surprising that Plantar fasciitis is one of the most common causes of heel pain as well. Most of us will experience Plantar fasciitis at least once in our lives, even if we never realise.
A foot ulcer is an open sore on the foot, usually beneath the big toe or on the balls of the feet. They form when skin tissue breaks down and exposes the lower layers. They begin as a sort of shallow crater, but if left untreated, this can extend into the deeper layers, possibly even reaching the bone.
A hammertoe is a toe that is abnormally bent, usually the second or third toe, although it can happen to any toe at all. This usually occurs because of a muscle/tendon imbalance, although ill-fitting shoes can exacerbate and speed up the formation of hammertoes. A hammertoe usually starts out as a mild abnormality, but if left untreated, they will always get progressively worse.
A heel spur is a bony growth that protrudes from the calcaneus bone. They occur as a result of chronic, localised inflammation, where the ligaments meet the bone. The spurs can form underneath the heel if the Plantar fascia is inflamed, and on the back of the heel if it is the Achilles tendon that is inflamed. Heel spurs usually form as a result of repetitive athletic strain, but can also be brought on by an inflammatory disease, such as reactive arthritis.
Each one of your feet has about 125,000 different sweat glands, more than any other body part based on surface area, so it’s easy to see why they can become one of the smelliest body parts. In particular when we are wearing shoes and socks, the sweat we produce becomes trapped inside, and that moist, warm, enclosed space becomes the perfect breeding ground for bacteria, which are actually the cause of the smell.
An ankle sprain is an extremely common injury that most of us will experience at some point in our lives. An ankle sprain usually occurs as a result of a misstep or fall, which can stretch or tear the ligaments that help us balance. Although it is a relatively common injury, ankle sprains can be very painful and can take us out of action for weeks or even months.
High heels have been a fashion staple for hundreds of years, but as time goes on, more and more questions are being asked about what effect they have on your health. Any woman at the end of a long night can tell you how much pain high heels can cause feet, but the damage extends far beyond that. In this blog, we’re going to look at how wearing high heels can have negative effects on your feet, legs, back, and overall posture.
