Suffering From Diabetes? 5 Foot Care Tips For Healthy Summer Feet

Do you know you might be at increased risk for foot problems and infections during the summer if you are diabetic? Well, for patients diagnosed with diabetes, even simple activities like wearing sandals or going barefoot on the beach during summer can be dangerous. Wondering how to enjoy the summer months even with diabetes? Fear not! All you need is summer foot care.

Foot Care Treatment

Diabetes has taken over the world like an epidemic. People with diabetes suffer from abnormal blood sugar levels. And, with the summer heat being rife with dangers which are specific to diabetic patients, experts say that steps need to be taken to maintain proper blood sugar level. This is because high blood sugar levels may cause nerve damage and infections leading to diabetic foot. If not treated properly, this can be double trouble since it can lead to foot amputation.

Here’re some suggestions you must follow for ensuring healthy feet during the summer months.

Useful Summer Foot Care Tips For People With Diabetes

Maintain Proper Blood Sugar Levels

Patients suffering from diabetes need to keep a proper blood sugar level of 80 to 130 mg/dL before food and not more than 180 mg/dL 2 hours after having food. Exercising regularly, maintaining a healthy diet and taking proper medication as prescribed by the doctor can help in ensuring proper glucose levels.

Inspect Your Feet Regularly

When was the last time you took a careful look at your feet? For patients suffering from diabetes, it’s important to inspect their feet daily. Podiatrists suggest people with diabetes to check their feet both before putting shoes on and after taking them off. You need to check on your toes, between your toes as well as in your shoe for any kind of debris.

Visit A Chiropodist

Scheduling appointments with the best chiropodist on a regular basis is important for patients suffering from diabetes. During the hot summer months, your feet are at increased risk for fungal infections due to excess moisture and heat. So, visiting your chiropodist regularly during the summer months can help in ensuring healthy feet as much as possible.

Avoid Walking Barefoot

Taking a barefoot walk through the sand can indeed be very tempting. But ocean debris, broken glass, and seashells can affect the skin of your feet, causing infection. Even sidewalks or hot sand can cause burns on your feet. So, it is always advisable to wear shoes whenever you go outside.

Moisturise Your Feet

Using lotion is important for diabetic patients, especially during the hot summer months since it is easy for the skin on their feet to dry out. Experts advise you to apply a thin coat of the lotion on the bottom as well as top of your feet. However, you should avoid putting the lotion in between the toes. This is because; excess moisture often leads to fungal infections.

Time to schedule an appointment with a leading podiatrist!

6 Common Foot Conditions People Often Mistake For A Bunion

So, you developed a lump on your feet near the big toe. Waking up to terrible foot pain lately? Are you assuming it to be a bunion? Making an appointment with a renowned podiatrist can be the ideal way to identify the actual cause of your foot pain and get the right treatment. Wondering why? Well, there are numerous foot problems which look like bunions but are not.

Bunions are lumps of bony tissues which form on the outside of the joint between the big toe and the rest of your foot. Caused by the metatarsal bone in your feet and the misalignment of your toe, bumps cause excess friction on the side of your foot, leading to corns and calluses. However, you need to know that not every foot condition which causes lumps on your feet is a bunion.

Read on to check out the foot problems which look like a bunion but aren’t.

Foot Care Treatment

From The Best Podiatrist: Foot Problems Which Resemble Bunions But Aren’t

Big Toe Joint Arthritis

One of the most common bunion look-alike foot conditions is arthritis of the big toe joint. Big toe joint arthritis causes swelling which resembles bunion on the side of your foot. It even causes foot pain when putting pressure on your foot or walking.

One of the hallmarks of this foot condition is Hallux rigidus which causes bone spurs to develop in the joint. This deformity leads to inflammation and irritation of the skin, making the bump resemble more like a bunion. While the bony prominence is on the side in bunions, bone spurs with arthritis tend to occur above the big toe joint.

Gout

Gout is a particular kind of arthritis, which develops when high levels of uric acid develop internal crystals in the joints. This is a common problem which affects the toes and feet, causing the area to become red and swollen, which leads to it being mistaken for bunions. The sharp internal crystal of gout causes intense pain and decreases mobility. Chiropodists can treat gout with medication to lessen the pain and inflammation.

Ganglion Cyst

Ganglion cysts are non-cancerous tumors which form around the big toe joint. These cysts are firm fluid-filled sacs which occur all over the body and are often confused with bunions. Ganglion cysts are correlated to joint trauma and often cause pain when the affected joint is moved. Ganglions can be differentiated from bunions by feel since ganglions are softer to touch in comparison to bunions.

Never try to remove or pop a cyst on your own. Experts recommend making an appointment with a podiatrist for a diagnosis.

Foot Care

Bursitis

Bursitis is a common cause of swelling and redness which occurs over joints, usually from direct external pressure. The big toe joint is prone to bursitis since it tolerates the entire weight of the body when you walk and can cause irritation from shoes. The bursa is a trapped inflammatory fluid between your underlying bone and skin. The condition is very painful and can often lead to the formation of calcium deposits in the joint, amplifying in the pain.

Bony Prominence

One of the greatest misconceptions with foot problems is that bunions are consequences of bone, which can be easily shaved off. Though bunions are different from bone growths, the underlying bone may often be prominent and enlarged, giving the resemblance of a bunion. While it’s common for bony enlargements to occur with bunions, they even occur when the bunion is absent.

Misalignment In The Ankle Or Foot

Misalignment anywhere in the body can lead to intense pain. For instance, if your ankle is misaligned, the small muscles and tendons in your foot will be affected. Not only will this pull the other bones out of proper alignment, but also lead to irritation and pain in your toes, up through your legs, knees and hips. Misalignment can even cause inflammation in the arch of your foot. Consulting an experienced podiatrist can be the best way to keep your foot properly aligned.

Now that you are aware of the common foot problems, what are you still here for? Quickly schedule an appointment with a chiropodist and seek his advice on good foot care. Time to ensure healthy feet and ankle!

Types Of Food To Be Consumed For Healthy Feet

There are many foods that are not considered to be healthy choices. It is fine to celebrate and have treats, but not on a regular basis. The food choices might seem to be insignificant especially for the farthest body parts from your mouth – the feet, diet and foot care are closely related. Here are a few food choices that you should make to ensure a healthy foot care. You can also talk to a Chiropodist in Surrey about treating your foot ailments.

Foot Pain

Foods To Strengthen Bones Against Breaks

Milk tops the list as it is a rich source of calcium. However, if you are lactose intolerant or simply don’t like to drink milk, you can think about other alternatives like salmon, beans, green leafy vegetables, yogurt, almonds and lots more to complement your requirement for calcium. Calcium strengthens bone and ensures quick recovery to your feet at any age. Deficiency of calcium may lead to heel pain. Calcium is also important to prevent developing osteoporosis that weakens the bone over time. Don’t forget to take vitamin D while taking calcium as this helps the body to absorb the mineral.

Foods To Ensure Healthy Toenails

You might try externally to make your toenail remain healthy and look great. But what do you do to keep them clear and strong from inside out? This is not all about a cosmetic matter. Toenails play important role to protect the tissues around the toes from injuries and infections. Your Podiatrist in Surrey may help you with suggestions. To ensure health toenails, here are the nutrients that you must take into consideration.

 

  • Vitamin C And Zinc

Both of them have high antioxidant property. They protect the toenails and the nail tissues from free radicals. You can consume zinc-rich foods like green beans, cheese, soybeans and pumpkin. To replenish vitamin C requirement, choose oranges, cooked leafy green vegetables and red peppers.

  • Vitamin B12

Deficiency of this vitamin often leads to brittle and fragility to toenails. Foods like egg, beef, poultry and pork are rich sources of vitamin B12. Supplement can come handy for the vegans.

  • Biotin

Often known as B7, this helps toenails from being weak and brittle. Nut butters, beans, mushrooms and whole grains are good sources of biotin.

Foot Care Treatment

Foods To Heal / Stop Foot Cramps

Cramps in the toes and feet are not uncommon. They are caused by deficiency of water, salt and different minerals like calcium, potassium and magnesium. Cramps mostly take place after a workout when you sweat a lot of these minerals out. To fill up the deficiency, you need to take something for healthy hydration. You must intake electrolytes. You can take bananas for potassium, almonds for magnesium and broccoli or spinach for both. Also, take foods as mentioned above for calcium deficiency.

Foods For Joints

There are 33 joints in each foot. If you have foot joint pain, take 1 to 3 grams of fish oil on a regular basis to reduce foot-related stiffness, inflammation and swelling. Fish oil is a rich source of omega-3 fatty acids that help increasing blood circulation, while enhancing pain recovery and reducing inflammation. They also build up and ensure lubrication to the tissues between the joints while minimising strain and friction.

Why Is It Good To Take Regular Care Of Your Feet?

It is quite common among people to take their feet for granted until the development of any pain or issue like calluses or blisters. You need to be kind to and take care of feet before they start giving you a challenge. It is also needed to go for foot care treatment for any existing issues before it becomes severe and limits your normal functionalities.Foot Care in Surrey

And Here Are The Key Reasons To Take Care Of Your Feet On A Regular Basis.

  • Better Quality Of Life

It improves your ability to function and helps to enhance the quality of life. The quality of life is directly involved to one’s ability to be self-dependent and self-sufficient so he or she can perform all the activities of daily living like walking, working, shopping, playing and lots more. If the feet hurt or you have any foot issues, you can’t function at your best. If you change your gait to avoid bunion, for instance, your overall body balance and posture can be badly affected making you prone to falling.

  • Work Productivity

Good foot health is optimally important if your job requires you to be on your feet for a reasonable amount of time. Even if you don’t need to stand longer, you still need to get up occasionally. If you work sitting at the desk, you certainly need taking a break and get up to avoid shoulder and neck pain associated with sitting in front of a computer for long hours. Get up at least once in an hour. But if you have a problem in the feet, you may not stand up and take a walk. And that is very likely to affect your work performance resulting in lost time, lower job efficiency, lost productivity and lots more. So foot care in Surrey is important.

Foot Health Checkup

  • Physical Activities

As you know, physical activities are extremely useful for overall health and wellbeing. Even if you are strong and healthy, you need to do at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activities every week. If you have any foot issues, you can’t follow such a fitness regimen. It is true that any amount of physical exercises is better than none but, as already mentioned, if you have poor foot health you may not feel likely to perform even a minimal amount of physical activities. The less you practice, the less you can do. As a result, you will face a loss of muscle strength and muscle mass, lower endurance, and higher risks of ailments related to a sedentary lifestyle. This often includes cardiac issues, diabetes and cognitive declination.

Therefore, it is important to take regular care of the feet and perform a foot health check. And here is what you need to do:

  • Check your feet every day for any bruises, cuts, red spots and blisters. Feel for bumps or lumps, if any.
  • Wash your feet well daily. Rinse off soap lather completely and make the feet dry, especially the places between toes.
  • Trim the nails straight across but not too short. Don’t cut at corners.
  • Don’t ever use any generic, over-the-counter medications to remove calluses or corns. Visit a foot specialist, if things go out of control.

How to Take Care of Your Feet on a Regular Basis



On the feet throughout the day? Being on the go ensures your feet take pounding almost every day. But how often you take care of your achy and tired feet? Actually not only you, most of us tend to avoid our part of foot care. Rather it is very common to ask a family member or friend for a back rub instead of something to pamper and soothe the toes. This is important to let you know that having achy, tired and sore feet can be anything more than just a nuisance, getting in the way of actual foot function and throwing off the natural way of running, walking and even standing.

Foot Pain

Thus you need to spend a little time to indulge your feet. Here are some effective and soothing ways for showing them a little care and love.

Soaking feet in lukewarm water with Epsom salt

Epsom salt contains sulfate and magnesium. It helps reducing aches, soreness and Foot Pain. It also helps to reduce inflammation, improves blood circulation and deodorizes the feet. Take a basin of warm water. Add half cup Epsom salt in it. Now soak the feet inside the water and relax for 15 to 20 minutes. Both sulfate and magnesium can be absorbed by the skin and that helps to soothe the muscles and reduces swelling. Start with a session of 8 to 12 minutes until it turns into a relaxing habit that you don’t want to skip.

Doing some stretching

Stretching the feet for a few minutes would work significantly to strengthen the bones and muscles. It can be done in two ways:

  • Remove shoes and just move the feet around to stretch. Flex the feet and point toes in different directions to make a good effort to extend them quite deeply. To stretch the ankle and heel, lean against wall with one foot back and then push down through ankle and calf. The same stretch can be done by supporting the forefoot on a stair while letting the heel to stretch back toward ground.
  • Roll your foot on a tennis ball. It is a fantastic way to stretch bones and muscles of the feet. Place the ball on the floor and roll the arches of feet on it to lessen tension. Now press the foot down as hard as possible sans causing any pain to get the most of it. You can do it anytime like when you watch TV, relax in the lawn or even in the office (not publicly).

Wearing right footwear

If you have to be on your feet all through the day, you must wear comfortable shoes. You should choose a pair of shoes that provides support to the arches of the feet. Make sure your shoes don’t hurt any part of the feet and allows sufficient space in the toe box. In case of high arches, shoes with straps, buckles and laces will be good. Shoes that can support the arch would keep the feet in good shape.

These are just a few ways to keep your feet healthy.


5 Signs You Should Visit an Experienced Foot Doctor



Are you facing issues with your ankles or feet? Instead of leaving nagging problems until it’s too late, scheduling a visit to a reputed podiatrist can help relieve your symptoms. Trust us; that feeling of relief when you find an accurate treatment for certain painful conditions is so worthwhile.
The feet are a vital part of overall body health but many people don’t take the time visit a specialist podiatrist regularly. Some may be unsure of where to go for treatment and others consider foot pain to be a normal part of everyday life. This needn’t be the case. You don’t put up with tooth pain, instead you visit a dentist regularly to prevent or treat tooth problems. The same should be done for your feet.

Foot doctor

Even minor foot pain can lead to severe consequences, so it is wise to visit a foot doctor whenever you experience pain or symptoms of foot problems. A regular check up is also advised to identify any underlying problems.


Here are five symptoms which mean you should visit an experienced podiatrist

Few Signs which indicate it’s Time You See a Foot Doctor

Swelling Or Numbness

If you are on your feet most of the day then swelling in the feet is quite normal. However, if numbness, sudden pain and swelling happens regularly with no definite reason, it could be a sign of a serious problem. Quickly fix an appointment with a reputed podiatrist to identify the underlying cause and get the treatment you need.

Thick Calluses And Corns

Thick calluses and corns are the result of areas of dead skin and can be painful if the skin gets thicker. A problem with your foot structure could be the reason for corns and calluses. A foot doctor can remove the hardened skin areas or prescribe some topical medication for treating them.

Ingrown Toenails

Though you may be tempted to remove an ingrown toenail on your own, it is always safer to consult a foot specialist. Also called onychocryptosis, these ingrown toenails grow when a sharp corner of your nail digs into the skin. Sometimes when the skin gets infected or inflamed, you might notice a yellow discharge from the area. To ensure the problem is cured properly, it is always better to schedule a visit to an HCPC registered foot doctor.

Cracked Heels

Dry, cracked and bleeding heels can usually be cured with a bit of foot cream. However, the longer this dryness and split skin persists on your heel, the more severe the problem will become. Over time, your heels may either become more prone to infections or you can experience increased bleeding. The situation can be worse for diabetic patients, consulting a podiatrist in this instance is a wise decision.

Bunions

Bunions are lumps which form at the base of your big toe and they may become painful as they get larger. Usually caused as a result of a deformity in the foot, they cause great discomfort while walking. Visiting a qualified podiatrist can help to treat bunions effectively The specialist will recommend you the best treatment options, depending on the severity of the problem.


If you are experiencing any of these symptoms you should take the time to find an experienced foot doctor and book your appointment to benefit from credible podiatric care!